Arts Council of England: West Midlands

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent per capita on  (a) capital projects and  (b) revenue funding in (i) Wolverhampton, (ii) Sandwell, (iii) Dudley, (iv) Walsall, (v) Birmingham, (vi) Solihull and (vii) Coventry in (A) 2001-02, (B) 2002-02, (C) 2003-04, (D) 2004-05, (E) 2005-06, (F) 2006-07, (G) 2007-08 and (H) 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: Arts Council England have supplied the figures in the following table. The figures represent their total funding, awarded in 000, either on a revenue or capital basis to organisations or individuals based (by postcode) in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
	
		
			  000 
			  LA/capital/revenue  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Birmingham 
			 Lottery Capital 2,115  9,920  
			 Lottery Revenue 8,070 4,109 2,183 3,187 2,636 6,891 3,372 2,170 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 10,949 11,860 12,986 14,445 16,698 16,513 17,550 18,021 
			 Birmingham total 21,134 15,969 25,089 17,632 19,334 23,404 20,922 20,191 
			  
			  Coventry 
			 Lottery Capital 4,023  30  
			 Lottery Revenue 455 1,088 190 466 770 952 320 500 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 923 990 1,415 1,500 1,632 1,696 1,723 1,823 
			 Coventry total 5,401 2,078 1,635 1,966 2,402 2,649 2,043 2,323 
			  
			  Dudley 
			 Lottery Revenue 213  101 62 88 571 106 139 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 10 20 20 25 25 26 26 50 
			 Dudley total 223 20 121 87 113 597 132 189 
			  
			  Sandwell 
			 Lottery Capital 28,804
			 Lottery Revenue 131 36 139 166 77 103 86 65 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 146 214 420 794 1,132 854 1,254 816 
			 Sandwell total 29,081 250 560 960 1,209 957 1,340 882 
			  
			  Solihull 
			 Lottery Revenue 180 61 114 85 92 11 155 22 
			 Solihull total 180 61 114 85 92 11 155 22 
			  
			  Walsall 
			 Lottery Revenue 235 106 179 147 192 172 168 123 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 517 535 551 862 804 826 849 897 
			 Walsall total 752 641 730 1,010 996 998 1,016 1,020 
			  
			  Wolverhampton 
			 Lottery Revenue 221 196 243 42 229 230 330 289 
			 Grant in Aid Revenue 27 128 181 315 323 362 341 338 
			 Wolverhampton total 248 324 424 357 552 592 671 627

Departmental Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on his Department's website in each year since it was established.

Si�n Simon: We are unable to supply figures prior to 2005.
	The departmental website is managed in house from existing resources. Following are additional costs of development, hosting, licences and editorial. These costs cover the main site and a number of in-house mini-sites.
	
		
			
			 2005-06 68,097.54 
			 2006-07 59,147.16 
			 2007-08 8,741 
			 2008-09 (1) 
			 (1) Figures are not currently available.

Swimming: Concessions

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for funding from Pot 4 of the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme were received in the first funding round; and in respect of which swimming pools these applications were received.

Ben Bradshaw: Sport England advises that there were 133 applications for funding from pot 4 of the 2009-10 Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme in the first funding round. Of the 133 applications, 86 were for public swimming pools. These 86 applications correspond to the following projects:
	
		
			  Organisation  Project name 
			 Babergh District Council Improvements to Hadleigh Swimming Pool 
			 Blaby District Council Enderby Leisure CentreInvest To Achieve 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationBolton Town Centre Pool 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationHorwich Leisure Centre 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationFarnworth Leisure Centre 
			 Burnley Council Padiham Leisure Centre 
			 Bury Council Modern pools for Modern PeopleCastle Leisure Centre 
			 Bury Council Modern pools for Modern PeopleRadcliffe Pool and Fitness Centre 
			 Calderdale Borough Council New build of Sowerby Bridge Pool 
			 Calderdale Borough Council New build of Brighouse pool 
			 Cannock Chase New Swimming Pool 
			 Chesterfield Borough Council Queens Park Sports Centre 
			 Chichester DC Westgate Leisure Centre Enhancement 
			 Chiltern DC Chiltern DCCapital Swimming Project at 3 sites 
			 Chorley Council Swim Chorley Capital ImprovementsAll Seasons Leisure Centre 
			 Chorley Council Swim Chorley Capital ImprovementsBrinscall Pool 
			 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council New Bradford City Centre Pool 
			 City of London Golden Lane Leisure Centre Refurbishment and Improvement 
			 Colchester Borough Council Fitness and Teaching Pool Refurbishment in Colchester 
			 Arena Sports Centre Arena Community Swimming Pool 
			 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Hoyland Leisure Centre 
			 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Dearnside Leisure Centre 
			 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Royston Leisure Centre 
			 Birmingham City Council Modernising Swimming in Birmingham3 parts (Wyndley Leisure Centre and 4 temp pools on school sites) 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationWesthoughton Leisure Centre 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationSharpies Community Leisure Centre 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool Modernisation Turton Community Leisure Centre 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationLadybridge Community Leisure Centre 
			 Bolton District Council Swimming Pool ModernisationJubilee Pool 
			 Castle Point Borough Council Runnymede Swimming Pool 
			 Cedar Park School Cedar Park School Swimming Pool Enclosure 
			 Charnwood Borough Council South Charnwood Pool (Wreake Valley Community College) 
			 Coventry City Council President Kennedy School 
			 Derbyshire County Council Brookfield Specialist Sports College Swimming Pool Project 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council A Mega Splash at Armthorpe Sports Centre 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council A Mega Splash at Thorne Sports Centre 
			 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Swimming Transformation 
			 Flora McDonald Junior School Enclosing outside swimming pool 
			 Harrow Council Splashing Out (3 sites) 
			 Kennet District Council Pewsey Changing refurbishment 
			 Kirklees Metropolitan Council Batley Swimming Initiative 
			 Leicester City Council Northfield House Primary School 
			 Luton Borough Council Modernising Swimming Facilities 
			 Milton Keynes UA Wroughton Leisure Centre Modernisation 
			 Milton Keynes UA Stantonbury Campus Pool Modernisation Project 
			 New Scotland Hill Primary School Refurbishment of swimming pool 
			 North Dorset DC Blanford LCFree Swimming Capital Development 
			 North Lincs Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme Riddings Pool 
			 Nottingham City Council Replace Noel St pool with new pool adj to Djanogly Academy 
			 NW Leicestershire District Council Ibstock Community College 
			 NW Leicestershire District Council King Edward VII community College 
			 Purbeck District Council Purbeck Sports CentrePool Plant Renewal 
			 Colchester Borough Council Fitness Pool Changing Room Facility Upgrade 
			 Colchester Borough Council Fitness Pool Conversion 
			 Colchester Borough Council Fitness Pool General Swimming Facility Upgrade 
			 Colchester Borough Council Fitness Pool Training and Teaching Room Extension 
			 Corby Borough Council Corby East Midlands International Pool 
			 Corby Borough Council Corby East Midlands International Pool 
			 Council of the Isles of Scilly Normandy poolAll weather cover for outdoor swimming pool 
			 Daventry District Council Modernisation of Daventry Leisure Centre 
			 Derbyshire Dales District Council Ashbourne Swimming Pool 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council A Mega Splash at Dearne Valley Leisure Centre 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council A Mega Splash at the Dome 
			 Erewash Borough Council West Park Leisure Centre Changing Rooms 
			 Fenland District Council Fenland's Swimming Facility modernisation programme 
			 Fenland District Council Manor Leisure Centre Swimming Pool Improvements Project 
			 Fenland District Council Hudson Leisure Centre Wisbech Swimming Pool Improvements 
			 Gateshead Council Leisure Centre Blaydon 
			 Halton Borough Council Kingsway Village Change 
			 Harborough District Council Harborough Leisure Centrechanging room modernisation 
			 Hartlepool Borough Council Mill House Leisure Centre 
			 High Peak Borough Council Buxton Spa Pool, Glossop Pool (2 applications) 
			 Leeds City Council Water treatment 
			 Leeds City Council Pool Covers 
			 Leeds City Council Lighting 
			 Leeds City Council Access 
			 Leeds City Council Scott Hall Aquatics Modernisation 
			 Leeds City Council Kirkstall Aquatics Modernisation 
			 Leicester City Council Various City Leisure Centres7 sites 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (Abbey, Goresbrook and Dagenham) No BarriersInviting, Safe, Secure 
			 London Borough of Brent Changing Room Access ImprovementWillesden 
			 London Borough of Brent Refurbishment of wetside changing roomsVale Farm 
			 London Borough of Enfield Improvement to Southgate Leisure Centre 
			 London Borough of Enfield Improving Enfield's Swimming 
			 London Borough of Lambeth Brixton Recreation Centre Swimming Pool modernisation 
			 London Borough of Redbridge Ilford Pool Development 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest Swim Safe for All 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest Swimming Pool Improvements 
			 Milton Keynes Swimming pools modernisation programme 
			 Milton Keynes UA Middleton Pool modernisation 
			 North East Derbyshire District Council Refurbishment of Sharley Park Leisure Centre 
			 North Lincs Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme Ancholme Leisure Centre 
			 North Tyneside Council Tynemouth Pool Changing Village 
			 Northampton Borough Council Danes Camp Teaching Pool 
			 NW Leicestershire District Council Hermitage Leisure Centre 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC 4 sitesSaltburn LC, Loftus LC, Eston Sports Academy, Guisborough 
			 Rugby Borough Council Free Swimming InitiativeKen Marriot Leisure Centre 
			 Salford City Council Broughton PoolModernisation 
			 Sandwell MBC Sandwell CMPHaden Hill Leisure B64 7HA 
			 Shropshire Council The Quarry 
			 Shropshire Council Oswald Park 
			 South Holland District Council Castle Pool Modernisation Project 
			 Southwark Council Camberwell Baths (FSMCF) 
			 St. Albans District Council Redevelopment of Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre 
			 St. Albans District Council Cotlandswick Leisure Facility London Colney 
			 St. Helens MBC (St. Helens CSN) Modernisation of Swimming Pool Changing Rooms 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Brough Park Leisure Centre 
			 Stevenage Borough Council Swimming Centre Changing Village Improvement Works 
			 Stockton on Tees BC (2 sites) Increasing Participation in Swimming 
			 Tendring District Council Dovercourt Swimming Pool Changing Room 
			 Tendring District Council Frinton and Walton Swimming Pool Changing Room Refurbishment 
			 Tendring District Council Swimming Pool Changing Room Refurbishment 
			 Thanet DC Ramsgate Sports CentreNew Pool 
			 Walsall CouncilBloxwich Leisure Centre FSCMPWalsall Council 
			 Waverley Borough Council Refurbishment of Farnham Sports Centre wet-side 
			 Westminster City Council Westminster Capital Modernisation Programme 
			 Wigan Council Modernisation of Tyldesley Pool 
			 Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Modernisation of Hindley Pool 
			 Calderdale Borough Council New build of Sowerby Bridge / Brighouse Pools 
		
	
	There were also 47 education applications for funding from pot 4 of the 2009-10 Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme in the first funding round. These correspond to the following projects:
	
		
			  Organisation  Project name 
			 Shropshire Council Church Stretton 
			 Shropshire Council William Brookes School 
			 South Staffordshire DC Codsall Swimming Pool Refurbishment 
			 South Tyneside MBC Brinkburn Community School 
			 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Hemsworth High School 
			 Wandsworth Council Southfields Sports College Swimming Pool Extension 
			 Warriner School Warriner Pool enclosure project 
			 Warrington Borough Council Orford Park 
			 Waveney District Council Waterlane Leisure Centre Redevelopment 
			 West Dorset DC New swimming facilities at Thomas Hardye Leisure Centre 
			 West Wiltshire District Council Warminster Changing refurbishment 
			 Wigan Council Modernisation of pool at Ashton Leisure Centre 
			 Woking BC Modernising outdoor swimming poolsSt. Johns Primary Sch, Knapp Hill, Goldsworth 
			 Oxford City Council Inclusive pool developmentCity Academy

Criminal Proceedings

Philip Davies: To ask the Solicitor-General what period of time on average elapsed between the passing of a case file on an arrested individual to the Crown Prosecution Service and the notification to a police force on whether charges would be brought in each category of crime in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution (CPS) case management system (CMS) reports the average number of calendar days that has elapsed since the first decision was sought from the police, to the date in which the last decision made was to charge. Data reported on CMS show that for the 12 month period from November 2008 to October 2009, the average number of calendar days taken to reach this decision was 8.6 days. This includes cases where a decision to charge was made: on the same day as the request from the police, either by CPS Direct, an out of hours telephone service; by way of face to face advice; or local telephone advice. It also includes those cases where the police were required to submit further evidence prior to a decision to charge being made; and those more complex cases where detailed written advice was provided to the police.
	It is not possible to provide a breakdown of this information by category of offence.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not separately record expenditure on overnight accommodation. List of the overseas visits made by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500 in 2006-07 and of the overseas visits made by all Ministers costing in excess of 500 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 are published at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	All travel is undertaken by the most efficient and costs effective way, in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) operates two helplines:
	1. Mentally disordered offenders victim information scheme; and
	2. AccessNIa criminal records disclosure and vetting service for statutory, community and voluntary bodies.
	The NIO does not receive any payment from the operation of these helplines.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office aims to provide a high quality service, which reflects best practice, through the current operating procedures used for its two helplines (Access NI and the mentally disordered offenders victim information scheme). While there may be benefits to be gained from securing accreditation to The Helplines Association's quality standard I do not consider that, at current user levels, the resource implications involved in seeking accreditation would be justified on value for money grounds.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs, spent 2,728.56 on overnight accommodation for Ministers and 11,145.37 for officials while overseas in 2008-09.
	Due to the way this expenditure is recorded on the NIO financial system figures for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The following link to the Cabinet Office website provides costs for Ministers' travel overseas, however it only provides a total cost of the visit and does not separate the various areas of expenditure;
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff there are in the office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland; and how much it spent on  (a) administration and  (b) public relations in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: These are operational matters relating to the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to the hon. Member directly, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Females: Developing Countries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much her Department has spent on the promotion of women's rights in developing countries in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: No expenditure has been spent in each of the last 12 months by the Government Equalities Office in promoting the UK's policies for women's rights in developing countries. This area of responsibility lies with the Department for International Development12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 84W.
	The UK Government are strongly committed to promoting and protecting women's rights, as evidenced by the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1986.
	In addition, the UK actively participates in the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings in New York. At its 50th session in 2006, actions were agreed that member states and civil society actors should undertake in order to enhance the participation of women in development.

Pakistan: Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1379W, on Pakistan: internally displaced persons, to which humanitarian agencies and for which projects his Department has allocated funds.

Michael Foster: The following table shows the Department for International Development's allocation of funding to humanitarian agencies and projects in support of Internally Displaced People in Pakistan.
	
		
			  Funded  a gency  Total  f unding () 
			 UN/NGOs Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) 12,500,000 
			 ICRC 9,000,000 
			 Monitoring and ex-post evaluation 250,000 
			 Sarhad Rural Support Programme (Local NGO) 250,000 
			 Total 22,000,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Breakdown of contribution to UN/NGOs for Pakistan  humanitarian response 
			  Plan  Total funding () 
			 UN System 7,718,683 
			 NGOs funded  
			 Church World Services - for the supply of non food items 743,414 
			 ACTED - for water and sanitation services and early recovery activities 733,085 
			 Islamic Relief - for water and sanitation services 147,576 
			 Muslim Aid - for water and sanitation services 113,870 
			 Oxfam - for water and sanitation services 550,560 
			 Mercy Corps - for water and sanitation services 305,867 
			 Merlin - for emergency health services 373,157 
			 International Medical Core - for healthcare services 495,504 
			 Save the Children - for emergency healthcare services and livelihood support 538,325 
			 Handicap International - for assistance to vulnerable persons 244,693 
			 Relief International-for transitional sustainable solutions 305,867 
			 Concern Worldwide - for skill development initiatives 229,400 
			 NGO Sub-total 4,781,317 
			 Total 12,500,000 
		
	
	The UK has committed an additional 10 million to help people displaced by the fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. This commitment will be distributed through the UN to aid agencies working in NWFP. This assistance will support early recovery to provide food, water emergency shelter and other critical humanitarian help to those most in need.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Michael Foster: The conflict that ended in January made worse an already extremely serious humanitarian situation. Today, more than nine months on, 75 per cent. of Gazans still rely on some form of food aid and over 60 per cent. do not have daily access to water. The onset of winter will further affect those whose homes remain damaged or destroyed since the end of the conflict.
	Since the start of the conflict in December 2008, the UK has pledged almost 47 million for immediate humanitarian assistance, early recovery and reconstruction. Whilst some basic humanitarian assistance has been entering Gaza, access constraints have severely hampered early recovery and reconstruction efforts. The UK will continue to press the Israeli Government for the provision of full, immediate and unhindered access for aid, aid workers and reconstruction materials, in line with fundamental humanitarian principles.

St. Helena: Airports

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 16-17WS, on St Helena, on what date he expects to respond to the consultation on options for access to the island; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The public consultation document, available on the Department for International Development's website, lays out the timings of the consultation process.

Crossrail Line

Lee Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent to date on the Crossrail project.

Sadiq Khan: In the period prior to the granting of Royal Assent for the Crossrail Act in July 2008, Crossrail Ltd. (CRL), formerly Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), and the Department for Transport (DFT) spent 166 million in preparation for Crossrail. This figure includes the costs incurred by CRL and DFT in support of the Crossrail Act 2008 and related agreements and DFT's financial, legal and technical consultancy fees in support of the parliamentary process and agreements.
	Since the establishment of CLRL in 2001 up to the granting of Royal Assent in July 2008, the combined expenditure by CLRL and CRL in relation to the costs of Crossrail works, including expenditure on design and land acquisition, was 227 million.
	For the period after Royal Assent, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 998-99W.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is committed to participating fully in the work of the Government's Operational Efficiency Programme and we have recently taken part in the government-wide benchmarking exercise of several corporate functions.
	To complement this, we have set in hand further work to review our corporate functions and to lead our transformation programme. In line with the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme, I have assumed responsibility as the Minister responsible for overseeing delivery of value for money in the Department.
	The Department offers a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support the delivery of value for money savings, and this ensures that appropriate training is available to all who require it.

Motorcycles: Safety

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what percentage of his Department's road safety budget is allocated to motorcycle safety in 2009-10;
	(2)  what his Department's budget is for  (a) bicycle safety,  (b) pedestrian safety and  (c) motorcycle safety in 2009-10;
	(3)  with reference to page 5 of his Department's publication, The Government's Motorcycling Strategy, what percentage of his Department's budget is allocated to measures to mainstream motorcycling in 2009-10.

Paul Clark: Most spending on road safety is undertaken by local authorities from their own resources, including general Government grant and locally raised revenues. The total amount spent on road safety, including cycle, pedestrian and motorcycle safety, is not recorded. In 2009-10 the Department for Transport's spending on cycle, pedestrian and motorcycle safety is as follows:
	Think campaign1,685,000 on all Child Safety, including the development of teaching materials for educational settings, 1,840,000 for teenage pedestrian road safety and 3,385,000 on motorcycle safety.
	Road Safety Partnership Grant1,043,000 on motorcycle safety. Other programme budget for road safety projects that will impact on all road users, including pedestrians, cycles and motorcycles totals 6,775,000.
	Research238,000 on our cycle safety project, 230,000 on motorcycle safety projects and 126,500 on motorcycle engineering projects. 149,985 on research into the feasibility of allowing motorcyclists to use Advanced Stop Lines at signal junctions, currently reserved for pedal cyclists.
	Cycle Training9.5 million in direct grants to local authorities and schools to deliver over 200,000 additional National Standard cycle training places for children with a further 500,000 for extra trainers to deliver the increased training. The programme is primarily aimed at encouraging more children to cycle specifically on school journeys, but should help them to do so more safely.
	The safety of all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, also benefits from our activities and spending on broader road safety measures, including changes to the road environment and to improve driver behaviour.

Network Rail: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of the proposed efficiencies agreed between Network Rail and the Office of the Rail Regulator for the period 2009-14 are expected to arise from reductions in staffing.

Chris Mole: It is for Network Rail to decide how it achieves the efficiency improvements which the Office of Rail Regulation factored into its determination of the company's access charges for the period 2009-14. The Office of Rail Regulation will provide assurance that Network Rail's approach to achieving these efficiencies will also enable the company to continue to improve safety and performance and to increase capacity.

Transdev: Mergers

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with  (a) the French government and  (b) Transport for London on the proposed merger between RATP and the UK operations of the bus operator Transdev; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I have had no discussions with either the French Government or Transport for London on this subject.

Territorial Army

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to meet the training requirements of the Territorial Army and the cadet forces; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 28 October, 20 million of new money from the Treasury has been ring-fenced for Territorial Army training.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate the Chief of the General Staff has made of the Territorial Army retention rate from 1 April 2010.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army were of course aware that the six-month reduction in training they proposed might impact on retention. They believed they could manage this risk. Nonetheless having listened to the strength of feeling on this issue, I decided that training should recommence as soon as possible.

Territorial Army

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on operational manpower levels of proposed reductions to Territorial Army training.

Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 28 October, 20 million of new money from the Treasury has been ring-fenced for Territorial Army training. We have consistently made clear that TA members deploying on operations will get all the training that the Army considers appropriate and necessary.

Afghanistan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the Royal Air Force to UK military operations in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The RAF makes a vital contribution to operations in Afghanistan. Our aircraft perform a number of roles such as: close air support; reconnaissance and surveillance; to providing support to land operations; and re-supplying front line troops. In particular, Chinook and Hercules aircraft provide an invaluable aeromedical service with rapid transfer to specialist care facilities in Afghanistan. As part of the airbridge C17 and Tristar aircraft provide a consistent and reliable service moving large numbers of personnel into sometimes hostile environments under difficult conditions and medically evacuating injured service personnel back to the UK. Many RAF personnel also fulfil a range of roles on the ground, including force protection around Kandahar airfield and Camp Bastion.

Gray Report

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to implement the recommendations made in the Gray report on defence acquisition.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Rochdale (Paul Rowen) and Dunfermline and Fife West (Willie Rennie).

Aircraft Carriers

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent plans are for the procurement and future use of the new aircraft carrier; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The Government remain fully committed to the manufacture of two Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. The carriers are a core component of the overall Carrier Strike Programme and a cornerstone of future defence policy.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to funding for the Army Cadet Force on his Department's fulfilment of its commitments under the Government's Youth Agenda.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 October 2009
	Defence's main effort is Afghanistan and in the very difficult financial climate hard decisions have had to be taken. This has resulted in a reduction to the funds available for this year to our Cadet Forces, and specifically to the Army's Cadets. This decision has not been taken lightly.
	The Department's commitment to the Youth agenda remains undiminished as evidenced by our recent response to the Milburn Report where, despite the challenging financial situation, we have accepted in principle the recommendation to ensure that those state school pupils who wish to get involved in Cadets may do so. We are investigating innovative methods of extending cadet provision to state school pupils which include working closely with the Department of Children Schools and Families.
	Financial constraints prevent the Government from meeting this recommendation in full, immediately. However this year, for example, we have delivered an additional six London Challenge Partnerships (Independent School CCFs offering Cadet places to neighbouring state school pupils) and the Air Cadet Organisation plans an annual expansion, targeted at state school pupils, of 700 cadets per year until 2018.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to upgrade soldier accommodation.

Kevan Jones: The provision of good quality living accommodation for both married and single service personnel continues to be a top departmental priority. Decades of under funding means that the standard of service accommodation has lagged behind the expectations of our people. Some housing stock is old.
	Investment over the last seven years has begun to correct this, but there is much more to be done. The Department plans to invest some 3 billion on accommodation improvement programmes over the next decade. Since 2001, over 200 million has been spent upgrading some 14,000 service family accommodation (SFA) properties to the top standard for condition.
	More remains to be done, but progress is being made and over 90 per cent. of SFA is now at the two highest standards for condition. Our aim is to ensure that by March 2013 very little, if any, of the occupied SFA estate should be below standard 2 for condition.
	In addition, since 2003, some 35,000 new or improved single living accommodation bed-spaces have been delivered as part of a 1.4 billion programme that will see a further 21,000 delivered by 2013.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have sustained  (a) damage to,  (b) partial loss and  (c) total loss of (i) upper and (ii) lower limbs in (A) Afghanistan and (B) Iraq in each of the last 36 months; what proportion of such injuries in each category became infected; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 11 November 2009, Vol. 499, c. 7MC.]

Kevan Jones: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The following table gives the numbers of surviving UK Service personnel whose injuries included those coded as a traumatic or surgical amputation, partial or complete, for either upper or lower limbs between 1 April 2006 and 30 September 2009 as a result of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This injury code covers injuries ranging from the loss of part of a finger or toe up to the loss of an entire limb or limbs. To indicate the number with severe multiple limb injuries, those classified as significant multiple amputees have suffered limb amputations above the wrist or ankle on more than one limb; in other words, they have lost at least two hands or feet. Note that there were no significant multiple amputees arising from operations in Iraq in this period.
	
		
			  Period  Afghanistan partial or complete limb amputees  of which significant multiple amputees  Iraq partial or complete limb amputees 
			 April 6 - December 6 7  5 
			 January 7 - December 7 14  10 
			 January 8 - December 8 27 6  
			 January 9 - September 9 32 13 0

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people who joined the armed forces since 1997 were from  (a) England,  (b) Teesside and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the number of officers and other ranks who have joined the regular armed forces by applying through their local Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO). Information for Teesside is not available but data is provided for the AFCOs in Middlesbrough and Newcastle. However, these figures do not provide a comprehensive picture because it does not guarantee that all recruits were born or live in that particular area. For example, some recruits may have been at university and so used the most conveniently located AFCO.
	
		
			   England  Middlesbrough  Newcastle 
			  Royal Navy
			 2003-04 3,139 87 148 
			 2004-05 2,953 79 155 
			 2005-06 3,227 90 162 
			 2006-07 3,220 81 153 
			 2007-08 3,314 68 143 
			 2008-09 3,573 92 165 
			 
			  Army
			 1997-98 9,528 391 408 
			 1998-99 10,804 396 430 
			 1999-2000 10,424 344 323 
			 2000-01 9,716 270 244 
			 2001-02 10,013 211 211 
			 2002-03 10,967 374 265 
			 2003-04 9,989 295 237 
			 2004-05 7,637 189 177 
			 2005-06 8,621 212 136 
			 2006-07 9,624 191 216 
			 2007-08 9,584 159 152 
			 2008-09 10,358 139 190 
			 
			  Royal Air Force (RAF)
			 2003-04 4,406 165 131 
			 2004-05 2,459 71 65 
			 2005-06 1,340 51 45 
			 2006-07 1,611 52 42 
			 2007-08 2,598 77 102 
			 2008-09 3,687 154 167 
		
	
	As shown in the table, no information is available for earlier years for Royal Navy and RAF as this data is not held in the requested format.

Defence: Research

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department gave to each Defence Technology Centre in each of the last five years; and how much each centre spent in  (a) England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Northern Ireland,  (d) Scotland and  (e) overseas in each such year.

Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence has placed contracts with the four Defence Technology Centres (DTC) each receiving the amounts set out in the following table in each of the last five years. Figures for the Electro Magnetic Remote Sensing (EMRS) DTC are based on actual outturn and those for the remaining DTCs are estimates. Information on location of spending is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   million( 1) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Electro Magnetic Remote Sensing (EMRS) 5.0 5.0 6.7 6.0 5.0 
			 Human Factors Integration (HFI) 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.8 
			 Data and Information Fusion 5.0 5.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 
			 Systems Engineering and Autonomous Systems (SEAS) 0 5.0 5.7 6.2 5.2 
			 (1) Exclusive of VAT at current prices.

Departmental Air Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights within Great Britain officials of his Department took in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Bob Ainsworth: In financial year 2008-09, 175,342 single domestic flights were booked centrally. The data include both military personnel and civil servants as this information cannot be separated. The total cost was 15.9 million. Records are not held centrally of any commercial flights booked through other means.
	All civilian and military travel is conducted in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Civil Service Management Code and Joint Services Publication 800.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings.

Kevan Jones: The MOD is firmly committed to delivering the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP). I have been appointed Value for Money (VFM) Minster and am supported in this role by a board composed of the Minister for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary and the Directors General Finance and Strategy, ensuring senior ownership for driving efficiency throughout the Department. A single programme has been established to deliver the VFM agenda, encompassing existing work and initiatives from the OEP and the Public Value Programme. This includes benchmarking of Defence back office costs and a review of MOD assets, where progress will be reported at Pre-Budget Report 2009. In addition, a VFM Team has been formed across MOD business areas which supports individuals at all levels in the delivery of VFM savings. Specifically on OEP, departmental leads have been appointed for each of the work strands to implement the recommendations. Ministers, senior officers and officials are fully aware of the guiding OEP principals established by HM Treasury. Value for money is integral to all the work of the Department and a wide range of learning and development opportunities are available to assist with driving the VFM programme.

Hebrides Range

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government spent on its consultation over plans to downgrade the missile range and its associated sites on the Western Isles.

Quentin Davies: The consultation on the proposed changes at the Hebrides Range was conducted as part of normal departmental business and it is therefore, not possible to provide a figure. The only discrete costs that can be identified relate to travel and subsistence expenses incurred by the MOD as a result of visits to the range in support of the consultation process. These costs amount to less than 2,000.

HMS Prince of Wales

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether HMS Prince of Wales will be classified as an aircraft carrier or a helicopter and commando carrier; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The MOD placed a contract with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) for the manufacture of two Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, and we remain fully committed to the project. Both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are classified as Aircraft Carriers.
	In addition to their primary role as aircraft carriers, the QE Class will provide a legitimate secondary role as an LPH platform when HMS Ocean is in refit, making the QE Class a versatile defence asset. This secondary role has always been a planning assumption of the QE Class.

HMS Vanguard: Accidents

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long HMS Vanguard was non-operational following her recent collision at sea; what the  (a) cost of repair and  (b) extent of the resultant damage was; and how long the repair work took.

Quentin Davies: Repairs to HMS Vanguard, following her collision with FS Le Triomphant earlier this year, were carried out at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde under existing support arrangements with Babcock costing approximately 1 million.
	A seven week package of work was undertaken, which included both repairs and planned maintenance. While the work package was completed, HMS Vanguard remained available at the required notice to support the operational programme. I am withholding information about any damage sustained by HMS Vanguard on the grounds of national security.

Military Decorations

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Queen's Golden Jubilee medals have been awarded; and at what cost to the public purse.

Kevan Jones: As at the 12 January 2009, 165,503 medals were awarded to serving members of the armed forces at a cost of 16.30 per medal, plus VAT but not including administrative costs.

Territorial Army: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army (TA) units there are in Scotland; how many members are in each such unit; how many members of TA units based in Scotland  (a) have been deployed to (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq in each of the last five years and  (b) have received military medals.

Bill Rammell: There are 15 Territorial Army (TA) units in Scotland and the number of members in each of those units as at 29 October 2009 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  TA Unit  Number of members 
			 105 Regiment The Royal Artillery 285 
			 71 Engineer Regiment 197 
			 6 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 266 
			 7 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 384 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 259 
			 225 General Service Medical Regiment 365 
			 Headquarters 51 Brigade 74 
			 32 Signal Regiment 239 
			 Regional Headquarters and 243 Provost Company (5 Royal Military Police) 49 
			 2 (Independent) Signal Squadron 98 
			 205 Field Hospital (Volunteers) 149 
			 153 Workshop Company The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (102 Battalion The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) 53 
			 52 Military Intelligence Company (5 Military Intelligence Battalion) 50 
			 15 Company (4 Battalion The Parachute Regiment) 79 
			 Queens Own Yeomanry 137 
		
	
	The number of TA members from Scottish based TA units deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in each of the last five years is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Deployed to Iraq 
			  Number 
			  TA Unit  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 105 Regiment The Royal Artillery 42 5 5 0 0 
			 71 Engineer Regiment 0 1 0 1 1 
			 6 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 13 4 0 0 0 
			 7 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 25 104 4 4 32 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 0 2 4 0 1 
			 225 General Service Medical Regiment 0 2 0 2 0 
			 Headquarters 51 Brigade 0 0 0 0 0 
			 32 Signal Regiment 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Regional Headquarters and 243 Provost Company (5 Royal Military Police) 9 9 9 9 9 
			 2 (Independent) Signal Squadron 2 2 2 2 2 
			 205 Field Hospital (Volunteers) 75 0 0 0 0 
			 153 Workshop Company The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (102 Battalion The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) 1 1 1 1 1 
			 52 Military Intelligence Company (5 Military Intelligence Battalion) 7 3 1 1 0 
			 15 Company (4 Battalion The Parachute Regiment) 25 1 0 1 0 
			 Queens Own Yeomanry 1 2 0 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Deployed to Afghanistan 
			  Number 
			  TA Unit  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 105 Regiment Royal Artillery 0 0 11 12 0 
			 71 Engineer Regiment 0 1 0 1 20 
			 6 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 0 2 37 1 3 
			 7 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1 2 0 11 0 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 0 0 4 0 1 
			 225 General Service Medical Regiment 0 0 1 1 20 
			 Headquarters 51 Brigade 0 0 0 0 0 
			 32 Signal Regiment 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Regional Headquarters and 243 Provost Company (5 Royal Military Police) 9 9 9 9 9 
			 2 (Independent) Signal Squadron 2 2 2 2 2 
			 205 Field Hospital (Volunteers) 0 0 0 0 0 
			 153 Workshop Company The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (102 Battalion The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) 1 1 1 1 1 
			 52 Military Intelligence Company (5 Military Intelligence Battalion) 0 1 2 3 5 
			 15 Company (4 Battalion The Parachute Regiment) 0 6 4 16 0 
			 Queens Own Yeomanry 0 0 1 12 7 
		
	
	The Medals Office does not record whether an individual comes from a regular or TA unit when issuing military campaign medals. There is a medal which is specifically issued to TA personnel, the 'Volunteer Reserve Service Medal' which is the equivalent of the 'Long Service and Good Conduct Medal' issued to regular soldiers. However, the work required to cross-reference individual names against units would incur a disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan: Elections

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many polling stations there will be in Afghanistan in the presidential run-off election on 7 November 2009; how many there were in the first round elections; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that voting is free and fair.

Ivan Lewis: Around 6,300 polling centres opened on election day on 20 August 2009. Polling centres had on average four polling stations within themfor example a school used as a polling centre might have had four separate classrooms within it, with each classroom designated as a polling station.
	The number of polling centres to be used in the second round is currently being reviewed by the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Afghan Ministries responsible for providing election security, taking into account the advice of the Election Complaints Commission (ECC). Any changes to the number of polling stations will take into account the need to provide suitable access to voters, ensure security and mitigate fraud, as well as IEC staffing levels.
	We have given 16.5 million to the UN Development Programme, who are responsible for building the capacity of the IEC to enable it to conduct credible elections. We are continuing to work with the UN, the IEC and the Afghan National Security Forces to ensure the second round of the Afghan elections can take place in a credible and secure fashion where fraud is kept to a minimum. Throughout the election process, we have encouraged candidates to adhere to Afghanistan's Electoral Law and follow the process through, respecting the decisions of the IEC and ECC.
	Following the first round of voting, the IEC and ECC successfully investigated and excluded thousands of fraudulent ballots. The final round of voting will again be held in challenging circumstances and will be rough and ready in places. Should fraud reoccur, despite international and Afghan efforts to mitigate this, these independent bodies will again work to ensure the result is a true reflection of the will of the Afghan people.

Departmental Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many properties his Department owns overseas; and what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of his Department's overseas estate;
	(2)  which 20 properties his Department owns overseas have the highest valuations; and what the valuation of each such property is.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) owns 2,119 properties overseas on a freehold or ground leasehold basis. The top 20 overseas properties by market value are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Market value of top 20 FCO Overseas Properties as at 31 March 2009 
			  Property name  Market value rate ( million) 
			 Bangkok compound(1) 103.8 
			 Hong Kong compound(2) 78.1 
			 Paris embassy 76.2 
			 Mumbai Deputy high commission 69.0 
			 Tehran Ferdowsi compound 65.5 
			 Kuwait City compound(3) 60.0 
			 Paris residence 53.9 
			 Rome residence compound(4) 52.5 
			 Buenos Aires compound(5) 51.7 
			 Cairo compound(6) 51.5 
			 Seoul compound 37.0 
			 Washington compound 35.5 
			 Tehran Gulhak compound 33.7 
			 Bahrain Manama compound 29.5 
			 Rome embassy compound(7) 29.0 
			 Geneva residence 24.4 
			 Copenhagen embassy compound 22.7 
			 New Delhi compound 21.5 
			 Athens residence 21.4 
			 Athens office 18.6 
			  Notes:(1 )Includes value of the Bangkok residence on the compound at 18.8 million.  (2) Includes value of the Hong Kong Consulate-General building on compound at 31.2 million.  (3) Includes value of the Kuwait City management building on the compound at 26 million.  (4) Includes value of the Rome residence on compound at 41.8 million.  (5) Includes value of the Buenos Aires residence on compound at44 million.  (6) Includes value of the Cairo residence on the compound at 21.3 million.  (7) Includes value of the Rome embassy on the compound at 23.2 million. 
		
	
	These are the current market values expressed in sterling, which are subject to exchange rate fluctuations. The aggregate book value of all FCO properties is reassessed annually, and can be found in Volume 2, table 12: Tangible Fixed Assets on page 131 of the FCO's most recent published resource accounts, a copy of which is available on the FCO website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/publications-and-documents/publicationsl/annual-reports/departmental-report/
	The book values of individual properties is also shown in the National Asset Register which can be accessed at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.ukypsr_investment_nar_2007_ index.htm

Egypt: Elections

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the measures the Egyptian government will take to ensure that the 2011 elections in that country are free, fair and transparent.

Chris Bryant: Our ambassador in Cairo raised the 2011 elections with the Director of the National Council for Human Rights in October. The elections were also raised with the Egyptian Government in the Political Subcommittee of the EU Association Agreement framework in July.
	Our embassy also coordinates a donor group in Cairo, ensuring funding for the holding of free, fair and transparent elections is strategically spent to maximise its effect.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the progress Iran has made toward the acquisition of a nuclear weapon; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We remain extremely concerned about Iran's nuclear programme.
	In August 2009 the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) Director General reported that Iran had not suspended its enrichment activities contrary to the requirements of five UN Security Council Resolutions and still refuses to answer questions about studies with a possible military dimension. Meanwhile Iran continues to produce low enriched uranium (it now has over 1,500 kg stockpiled according to the IAEA) which could be used to produce high enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.
	The fact that Iran has been covertly developing an enrichment facility near Qom, in breach of UN and IAEA obligations, casts further doubt on their peaceful intentions.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme in the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: When Ministers from the E3+3 met in New York on 23 September 2009, they made clear that we were all still committed to the dual track policy, which includes further action at the UN Security Council if necessary. They also agreed that decisions on our next steps would be taken in the light of meetings with Iran. On 1 October 2009 in Geneva, Iran agreed to a further meeting before the end of the month to focus on its nuclear programme. Iran has not yet agreed to a date for this.

Israel

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on  (a) an academic boycott and,  (b) a general boycott of Israel.

Ivan Lewis: I discuss the situation in the Middle East with a wide range of stakeholders including trade unions and non-governmental organisations. As I have made clear to them and publicly, the Government are opposed to boycotts of Israel. This, among other issues, were also discussed in my meeting, on 27 October 2009, with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. We both agreed on the need to make progress towards a two-state solution and the detrimental impact that boycotts of Israel would have both on that goal and bilateral ties.

Middle East

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the policy of the Israeli government on the  (a) volume and  (b) type of goods entering Gaza from (i) Israel and (ii) Egypt; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Some basic humanitarian assistance has been entering Gaza through the crossings from Israel, but the overall flow of goods into Gaza remains severely limited. Israel has not provided clarity on what types or volumes of goods it will and will not permit to enter Gaza. The flow of goods and materials falls far short of addressing basic human needs of Gaza's estimated 1.5 million people and prevents all but token efforts towards reconstruction. On average, the government of Israel allows the transfer of just 60 per cent. of the industrial fuel required per week to operate Gaza's only power plant at the current maximum capacity of 80 megawatts. The number of trucks carrying humanitarian and commercial goods is routinely restricted to approximately a third of the weekly average before restrictions were tightened. The import of building materials and agricultural inputs is heavily curtailed.
	The Rafah crossing from Egypt is primarily a pedestrian crossing and is often closed. Restrictions imposed by the government of Israel also affect goods passing formally from Egypt, which are channelled via Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
	Large quantities of a wide variety of items continue to enter Gaza from Egypt via tunnels. Given the illicit nature of the trade, it is hard to quantify the trade. Reports from Gaza suggest that a wide variety of goods which cannot be imported any other way are entering through the tunnels, and are then available on the open market. Arms are undoubtedly part of this trade. According to a recent UN report approximately 100,000 litres of diesel and 100,000 litres of petrol is transferred into Gaza via the tunnels each day.
	We will continue to urge action to press the Israeli authorities to ease border restrictions into Gaza and allow the passage of essential humanitarian aid and reconstruction material. The Prime Minister stressed this point most recently in his joint letter, on 16 October 2009, with President Sarkozy to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the UK did not participate in the recent vote on the report of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict at the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have made it absolutely clear that while aspects of the Goldstone report were flawed it raised very serious issues that we want to see addressed. We also made clear that the resolution did not adequately address Hamas' actions and Israel's right to protect its citizens.
	We did not vote because we were in the middle of detailed discussions about three key issues: the establishment of an independent inquiry, access for humanitarian aid to Gaza; and how to restart the peace process. We were pursuing these at the highest level, between my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, French President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. The vote was called in the middle of those discussions and we did not wish to compromise the detailed work on those fundamental issues.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has  (a) taken during the last six months and  (b) plans to take during the next six months to tackle the shipment of weapons and funds from Iran to (i) Afghanistan, (ii) Iraq, (iii) Lebanon and (iv) Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We take Iran's support for militia in Iraq, the Taleban in Afghanistan, Hamas and Hezbollah seriously and will continue to work with international partners to urge Iran to play a more constructive role in the middle east region. We will continue to support the full implement existing UN Security Council Resolutions which prohibit Iran from supplying or selling arms or related materiel.
	Iranian support to illegitimate armed groups in Iraq (including supply of weapons, training or funding) is unacceptable.
	We have successfully interdicted some Iranian weapon shipments in Afghanistan which has led to temporary reductions in activity. We will continue to work with the Afghan Government to confront this.

Middle East: Economic Situation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of progress in economic development in  (a) the West Bank and  (b) Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remains difficult. According to the World Bank, gross domestic product is estimated to have declined by 34 per cent. in real per capita terms over the last decade.
	More recently, increased international aid in 2008 and 2009 has allowed Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad to stabilise the public finances and pay salaries in both the West Bank and Gaza. The economy of the west bank has also benefited from the improved security provided by the Palestinian security forces and from the removal of some obstacles to movement around the west bank by the Israeli Government.
	The International Monetary Fund recently estimated that growth in the west bank could reach 7 per cent. for 2009. But unemployment remains close to double the level of a decade ago and much more needs to be done to return the economy to sustainable growth.
	In Gaza, the situation remains extremely serious. Israeli restrictions mean the productive sector of the economy has come to an almost complete standstill. 95 per cent. of the manufacturing sector has shut operations and exports have effectively ceased. The economy now depends on Palestinian Authority and UN salaries together with illicit earnings from smuggling as the main sources of income. Official unemployment stands at 42 per cent. but the actual figure is likely to be in excess of 50 per cent. and there are worrying levels of aid dependence.
	We are working to support economic growth. We also call on the Israeli Government to go further in removing movement restrictions, to release telecoms frequencies for a second Palestinian mobile operator, to resume normal banking relations with Palestinian banks and to remove other barriers to economic growth.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report of the UN Fact Finding Mission of the Gaza Conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: As our ambassador made clear to the Human Rights Council, the UN fact finding mission on Gaza has its flaws:
	not adequately recognising Israel's right to protect its citizens or paying sufficient attention to Hamas's actions;
	making broad assertions about detailed interpretation of international law with which we differ; and
	(because Israel did not cooperate) lacking an authoritative Israeli perspective so crucial to determining the legality of actions.
	However, the report raises very important issues that are of serious concern and that we want to see addressed. Rocket attacks by Palestinian militants targeted at innocent civilians in southern Israel constitute a breach of international humanitarian law. The report also makes serious allegations about Israeli conduct and we urge the Israeli Government to carry out full, credible and impartial investigations into the concerns raised by the report.
	The full text of our intervention can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/press-statement/11644804/21015315/goldstone-161009.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The US Administration, from the President down, have made clear their commitment to restarting negotiations and continue to work towards that goal. We are offering them our full support, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 11 October 2009 and Senator George Mitchell on 28 October 2009. While significant obstacles undoubtedly remain, the alternatives to credible negotiations towards a two-state solution are far worse.

Police Dependants' Trust

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the purposes for which the payment for 250,000 given to his Department on behalf of Colonel Gadaffi by the hon. Member for Southend East in March 1993 and intended for the Police Dependants' Trust was used.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold information relating to a payment of 250,000 made by the Libyan Government in 1993. The FCO is aware however, that upon resumption of diplomatic relations in 1999 the Libyan Government admitted general responsibility for the murder of WPC Fletcher and agreed to pay compensation to the Fletcher family.

Somalia: Piracy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance his Department has provided for international efforts to tackle piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: As part of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has led and funded two needs assessments missions alongside the EU, UN and US to the countries surrounding Somalia in order to assess the priorities for development in the legal, judicial, penal and maritime sectors. They have visited Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen, Tanzania and the Seychelles. The FCO has also funded the participation of key partners, such as Somali representatives, at meetings of Working Group 1 of the CGPCS. It has also funded UK attendance at national and international meetings discussing efforts to counter-piracy.
	The UK is contributing to three international counter-piracy operations: providing the operation Headquarters and Operation Commander to the EU Naval Force (Operation ATALANTA); a frigate, tanker, and Deputy Commander to the Combined Maritime Forces; and a frigate and current command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 conducting Operation OCEAN SHIELD. The FCO contributes to the UK's tri-departmental assessed contributions of 1.2 million towards the cost of Operation ATALANTA. The UK also provides the UK Maritime Trade Organisation, coordinating the movement of merchant shipping and acting as a first point of contact for any ships attacked in the region.

Somalia: Piracy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on travelling in waters around the coast of Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides specific recommendations both to commercial vessels and to members of the public while travelling near Somali waters. This information is available on the FCO website.
	In terms of commercial advice, specific guidance is given in relation to the practical steps in avoiding pirates which have been shown to significantly reduce the chances of a successful pirate attack. The advice also links to guidance from Department of Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It advises ships to register with the EU's Maritime SecurityHorn of Africa website and transit through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in addition to adhering to the latest Maritime Advisories in force throughout the piracy threat region.
	The Government endorse the advice prepared by the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia which provides specific advice on how to prevent, deter and delay acts of piracy off the Horn of Africa. The Maritime Security CentreHorn of Africa website contains general advice to shipping companies, and the UK Maritime Trade Organisation advises mariners on planning their passage through the Gulf of Aden.
	As Chair of Working Group 1 of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), the FCO has been instrumental in securing greater dissemination and adherence to industry's best practice of vessels travelling in the waters in the vicinity off the coast of Somalia. The FCO also signed the New York Declaration which provided further guidance to industry in relation to best management practices to avoid and deter acts of piracy.
	In terms of specific advice to members of the public travelling in waters in the vicinity of the coast of Somalia, the FCO advises mariners to remain at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast when transiting between the equator and 08N latitude, and 100 nautical miles from Somalia's northern coastline in the Gulf of Aden. However, as pirates have been using mother ships to attack shipping further than 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast, the FCO also advises mariners to maintain a high level of vigilance and to exercise extreme caution when anywhere near Somali waters.
	This advice is provided within the FCO's travel advice relating to the Indian Ocean as well as more specifically the advice provided to individuals intending to travel to Seychelles, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. The River and Sea Safety section of travel advice also advises yachters travelling in their own yacht or boat to be aware of the risks of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what activities the troika of the UK, US and Norway have undertaken in the Sudan over recent months.

Ivan Lewis: We have had extensive discussions on the political situation and prospects for Sudan with the US Special Envoy, Major General Scott Gration, since his appointment in March 2009. The US Envoy had several meetings in the early summer with my noble Friend, the then Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown and continues to meet regularly with the UK Special Representative for Sudan. They met most recently in Moscow on 6 October 2009 and in Abuja on 29 October 2009.
	Both US Envoy Gration, and the UK Special Representative have strongly expressed their support for African Union/UN Chief Mediator Djibril Bassol and the State of Qatar in their efforts to finding a political solution for Darfur, and stand ready to offer all necessary assistance.
	The UK, US and Norway have in recent months re-established the Troika mechanism as part of the international effort on Sudan. Officials from the UK, US and Norway are currently in Sudan to discuss Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation issues with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US emissary to Sudan on the co-ordination of the Government's and US efforts to resolve the conflict in Darfur.

Ivan Lewis: We have had extensive discussions on the political situation and prospects for Sudan with the US Special Envoy, Major General Scott Gration, since his appointment in March 2009. The US Envoy had several meetings in the early summer with my noble Friend, the then Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown and continues to meet regularly with the UK Special Representative for Sudan. They met most recently in Moscow on 6 October 2009 and in Abuja on 29 October 2009.
	Both US Envoy Gration, and the UK Special Representative have strongly expressed their support for African Union/UN Chief Mediator Djibril Bassol and the State of Qatar in their efforts to finding a political solution for Darfur, and stand ready to offer all necessary assistance.
	The UK, US and Norway have in recent months re-established the Troika mechanism as part of the international effort on Sudan. Officials from the UK, US and Norway are currently in Sudan to discuss Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation issues with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Sudan on its response to clashes in the south of that country.

Ivan Lewis: We are very concerned by the continuing insecurity in South Sudan as a result of tribal violence and continuing activity by the Lord's Resistance Army.
	While attending the UN General Assembly in New York last month, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in South Sudan with Sudanese presidential adviser Ghazi. Our ambassador to Sudan visited Juba on 28-30 September 2009 and raised UK concerns at the security situation with the Government of South Sudan's Interior Minister and the Sudan People's Liberation Army chief of staff.
	These messages were reinforced when my hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development (Mr. Thomas) visited Sudan on 14-15 October 2009. He discussed our concerns at the security situation with Government of South Sudan interlocutors in Juba.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with General Scott Gration, the US emissary to Sudan, on the political situation in that country.

Ivan Lewis: We have had extensive discussions on the political situation and prospects for Sudan with the US Special Envoy, Major-General Scott Gration, since his appointment in March 2009. The US Envoy had several meetings in the early summer with my noble Friend, the then Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown and continues to meet regularly with the UK special representative for Sudan. They met most recently in Moscow on 6 October 2009 and in Abuja on 29 October 2009.
	Both US Envoy Gration, and the UK special representative have strongly expressed their support for African Union/UN Chief Mediator Djibril Bassol and the State of Qatar in their efforts to finding a political solution for Darfur, and stand ready to offer all necessary assistance.
	The UK, US and Norway have in recent months re-established the Troika mechanism as part of the international effort on Sudan. Officials from the UK, US and Norway are currently in Sudan to discuss Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation issues with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to  (a) the government of Sudan and  (b) others on the new agreement on the forthcoming referendum on the future status of Sudan; and what the Government's policy is on the new eligibility criteria for a vote on secession in Sudan.

Ivan Lewis: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development (Mr. Thomas) visited Khartoum and Juba on 14-15 October 2009 and met with senior members of the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), including presidential adviser Ghazi, and Southern Minister of Internal Affairs Geir Chuang. He pressed them to take urgent steps to resolve the impasse over the census and referendum.
	Our ambassador and other senior Government officials, and the chair of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission, Sir Derek Plumbly regularly raise these issues with NCP and SPLM interlocutors. Officials from the UK, US and Norway are currently in Sudan to discuss Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation issues with the SPLM and NCP.
	We are committed to a free and fair referendum in 2011. The eligibility criteria and content of the Referendum Bill are for the parties to reach agreement over, and we urge both parties to do so urgently.

Animals: Quarantine

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department next plans to review the list on non-EU countries and territories from which mammals may enter the UK under the PETS Scheme without going into quarantine.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 October 2009
	The PETS travel scheme and quarantine requirements are in place to protect the UK from serious diseases, such as rabies.
	The list of countries from which animals may enter the UK under the PETS Scheme without going into quarantine is set out in European legislation (see Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 as amended). In order to be included in that list, countries need to demonstrate to the European Commission that they meet certain criteria set out in the regulation. Inclusion is then subject to agreement by EU member states.

Biofuels

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take  (a) to set specifications for biomass boilers and  (b) to ensure the maintenance of air quality standards in respect of biomass boiler emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Operators of appliances with a rated thermal input of 20 megawatts or more in which biomass is combusted need a permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 which will contain emission limit values set by the relevant environmental regulator. If the biomass is waste, permits are required if the rated thermal input of the appliance exceeds 0.4 megawatts.
	The use of biomass for heat and power can pose a significant air quality problem. Large scale heat or combined heat and power schemes should not normally be used in heavily built-up areas (subject to an Environmental report) unless they are of high quality (20g/GJ PM10 or less) or have efficient abatement equipment specified. There are, however, technology options coming on stream which could substantially reduce emissions, even in urban areas (ceramic filters, for example). It would be easy to infer that biomass should not be encouraged in air quality management areas, which obviously already have a significant problem with air pollution. Seeking non-combustion alternativesground or air source heat pumps, solar thermal, better building design should be the first option; the second is to attempt to group users togetherthis allows the use of a smaller number of larger plants, and larger plants are easier to control.

Biofuels: Air Pollution

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of levels of emissions of  (a) fine PM2.5 particulates and  (b) PM10 particulates from biomass boilers once the biomass targets in the Renewable Energy Strategy are met.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government, in support of the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), carried out modelling of the effect of an increase in the use of biomass for heat and power on emissions of fine particles (PM2.5) and coarser particles (PM10) under a range of scenarios. Polices in the Renewable Energy Strategy will lead to emissions being at the lower end of the ranges quoted.
	We estimate that, by 2020, the uptake of biomass predicted by the RES results in the emission of an additional 1.7 to 6.3 ktonnes of fine particles (PM2.5). The 2007 UK emissions of PM2.5 were estimated at 82 ktonnes.
	For the coarser particle size fraction, PM10, it is estimated that an additional 1.3 to 7.6 ktonnes may be emitted. Emissions of PM10 in the UK in 2007 were estimated at 135 ktonnes.
	The results of the air quality impact assessment using these emission estimates are given on page 121 of the RES. In the strategy the Government stated that they will work with industry to introduce performance standards for biomass units and will consult on the level of performance required for boilers under the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Biofuels: Air Pollution

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has undertaken into particulate emissions from biomass boilers and their effect upon climate change.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government, in support of the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), carried out modelling of the effect of an increase in the use of biomass for heat and power on emissions of fine particles (PM2.5) and coarser particles (PM10) under a range of scenarios. Polices in the Renewable Energy Strategy will lead to emissions being at the lower end of the ranges quoted.
	We estimate that by 2020 the uptake of biomass predicted by the RES results in the emission of an additional 1.7 to 6.3 ktonnes of fine particles (PM2.5). The 2007 UK emissions of PM2.5 were estimated at 82 ktonnes.
	For the coarser particle size fraction, PM10, it is estimated that an additional 1.3 to 7.6 ktonnes may be emitted. Emissions of PM10 in the UK in 2007 were estimated at 135 ktonnes.
	The results of the air quality impact assessment using these emission estimates are given on page 121 of the RES. In the Strategy the Government stated that they will work with industry to introduce performance standards for biomass units and will consult on the level of performance required for boilers under the Renewable Heat Incentive.
	No assessment has been made of the impact on climate change of these emissions.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether restrictions have been placed on the use of the grant provided by the European Commission Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health for implementation of the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Programme in respect of the operation of the programme in Wales.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Commission's Decision clearly sets out what the UK including Wales is able to apply for in terms of reimbursements for the costs of tuberculin testing, gamma interferon blood testing and compensation for cattle slaughtered. This is not a restriction, it is a rule of the funding programme that the UK Bovine TB Eradication Plan for 2010 is an application to.
	The Decision sets out the maximum of the costs that member states can claim for each:
	Tuberculin test: 1.75 per test
	Gamma-interferon test: 5 per test
	Compensation: 375 per animal.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the merits of testing for bovine tuberculosis annually in all parishes, as is done in Wales.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Bovine TB Eradication Group for England has recently reviewed the approach taken to setting routine TB testing frequencies to a risk based approach as announced in its report published on 8 October. Extending more frequent routine TB testing to more of the country would come at a high cost. As TB is a largely regional issue, concentrated in England in the South West and West Midlands, with large areas in the north and east predominantly clear, this risk based approach is deemed a more proportionate and effective use of resources.

Carbon Emissions

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce emissions of black carbon in England and Wales.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Black carbon emissions are being tackled as part of a wider package of measures to reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions across the UK. Black carbon is emitted through combustion processes and is a constituent of PM, which is consistently associated with respiratory and cardio-vascular illness and mortality. Black carbon is also a global warming agent.
	Measures to reduce particulate matter emissions are included in the UK Government's time extension notification:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/air-quality/index.htm
	under the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC), which sets out how EU ambient air quality limits for PM will be met in the few remaining at risk areas by 2011. This includes parts of London and the Government have been working with the Mayor of London on a draft Air Quality Strategy:
	http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/air_quality/docs/AQS09.pdf
	which includes new measures to address particulate emissions, particularly from transport sources, across the capital.
	Emissions from diesel vehicles are one significant source of black carbon so the introduction of measures that encourage the early uptake of new vehicles compliant with the most stringent European vehicle emission standards is being pursued.

Circuses: Animal Welfare

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a ban on the use of all non-domesticated animals in circuses; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Wild animals used in travelling circuses are protected by The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which prevents unnecessary cruelty or suffering to any vertebrate animal. The Act makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met. This includes the need: for a suitable environment (place to live); for a suitable diet; to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable); and to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.
	A Feasibility Study is currently under way looking at the possibility of regulating wild animal acts in travelling circuses. The Feasibility Study is nearing completion and I intend to review the findings carefully.

Dogs: Quarantine

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has received on proposals to exempt search and rescue dogs from quarantine when they enter the UK from search and rescue missions in parts of the world which mammals are required to be quarantined.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 October 2009
	The hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) raised the case of the rescue dog Darcy with the Secretary of State, and we have subsequently received a number of representations about this case.
	The Government recognise the excellent work carried out by search and rescue dogs in responding to overseas disasters, such as the recent earthquake in Indonesia, and their rapid and valuable response to such emergencies.
	We also appreciate the difficulty the current quarantine requirements cause for owners of these rescue dogs, particularly the rule requiring that dogs coming into the UK from certain countries, including Indonesia, are placed in quarantine on their arrival. This long standing rule is in place to protect the UK from the incursion of serious diseases such as rabies.
	DEFRA officials are discussing the specific case of Darcy the search and rescue dog with representatives from the Essex Fire and Rescue Service. We are considering within the current requirements how to minimise the burden our quarantine our quarantine rules place on these animals, particularly on their training programme, but the requirements are important and need to be observed.

Dogs: Quarantine

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many representations he has received requesting special dispensation to enable Darcy, the Essex Fire and Rescue Service rescue dog, to be released from quarantine; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Six parliamentary questions have been asked by two Members of Parliament this month on the quarantining of rescue dogs. To date we have received eight letters from Members, two letters from people directly related to this case, and five specific representations from members of the public. DEFRA has also received 172 declarations of support for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Free Darcy campaign.

Floods

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of remedying flood damage in each year since 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Where information is available, the Environment Agency records the extent of flooding; however, complete estimates of actual flood damage in past years are not recorded centrally.
	The Environment Agency's Flooding in England report estimates that the expected annual cost of damages to properties at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea in England is more than 1 billion. Estimates of flood damage caused by some of the larger individual events in recent years are 3 billion for the summer 2007 flooding, 450 million for Cumbria in 2005 and 1 billion for the autumn 2000 events.

National Parks: Planning Permission

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he issues to the authorities of national parks on the procedures to be followed in examining expressions of intent to apply for permission for development within a national park; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no Government guidance on this specific matter. However, Planning Policy Statement 1Delivering Sustainable Developmentencourages local planning authorities in general to take a positive attitude towards early engagement in pre-application discussions. As part of our response to the Killian Pretty Review, we intend to issue for consultation later this year further policy guidance on pre-application engagement.

Oils: Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of cleaning up used cooking oil which has been inappropriately disposed of.

Dan Norris: Water and sewerage companies deal with some 200,000 blockages in the public sewers every year, of which up to 75 per cent. are estimated to be caused by fat, oil and grease. Water UK estimated in 2007 that approximately 15 million is spent annually on reactive blockage clearance by the water and sewerage industry in total, and recovered from their customers through sewerage charges.

Protection of Badgers Act 1992

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances a licence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 may be issued; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Policy on wildlife management issues is a devolved matter, therefore this answer relates to England only.
	The purposes for which a licence can be issued are set out in the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. All applications are determined on a case by case basis and would normally be expected to meet the following criteria:
	There is a genuine problem to resolve or there is a need to satisfy for which a licensing purpose is applicable;
	There are no satisfactory alternatives;
	The licensed action will contribute to resolving the problem or meeting the need;
	The action to be licensed is proportionate to the scale of the problem or need, and;
	The licensed action will not have an adverse effect on the favourable conservation status of any habitat type or species within its natural range.
	In addition all licence applications are subject to a disease risk assessment.
	The Government's policy remains that licences will not be issued for culling badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB in Englandwe remain open to revisiting this policy in exceptional circumstances or if new scientific evidence becomes available.

Recycling: Plastics

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department provided for research into the recycling of plastics in each year from 2004-05 to date.

Dan Norris: DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme (WREP) first commissioned research projects in the summer of 2005. Since then, funding for research into the recycling of plastics has been as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 239,160 
			 2006-07 218,436 
			 2007-08 12,000

Rural Land Register

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department is making on its update of the Rural Land Register.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In updating the Rural Land Register the Rural Payments Agency has sent map packs to some 97,000 or 85 per cent. of farmers in England with the remainder being sent over the next few weeks.
	Response rates from farmers are in line with expectations and more than 55,000 farmers have to date either confirmed acceptance or made changes.
	RPA is encouraging farmers to reply as soon as possible and ideally within a 28 day timescale. To this end, the agency is running seminars and is attending more than 90 locations at auction markets in order to supply face to face advice and support.

Water Charges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of trends in the number of disconnections by water companies in the last 20 years; and if he will encourage water companies to establish charitable trusts or hardship funds.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following tables provide details of the numbers of disconnections by water companies in the last 20 years.
	A prohibition on the disconnection of domestic premises for non-payment of bills was introduced on 1 July 1999; therefore figures for household disconnections are only given from 1 April 1989 to 30 June 1999. Figures do not include those premises disconnected for reasons such as health and safety, or leakage and repair.
	On average, around five and a half thousand non-household properties are disconnected each year; however the figures show no discernible trends.
	
		
			   Non-household  Household 
			 2007-08 7,133 n/a 
			 2006-07 6,619 n/a 
			 2005-06 11,311 n/a 
			 2004-05 13,211 n/a 
			 2003-04 14,404 n/a 
			 2002-03 8,644 n/a 
			 2001-02 5,286 n/a 
			 2000-01 4,311 n/a 
			 1999-2000 3,569 1,27 
			 1998-99 1,748 1,129 
			 1997-98 1,774 1,907 
			 1996-97 1,543 3,148 
			 1995-96 1,996 5,826 
			 1994-95 2,785 10,047 
			 1993-94 2,636 12,452 
			 1992-93 3,099 18,636 
			 1991-92 (1) 21,282 
			 1990-91 (1) 7,673 
			 1989-90 (1) 8,426 
			 (1) Non-household figures for 1989-90 to 1991-92 were not obtainable. 
		
	
	Most companies offer some form of charitable trust or restart scheme. These are advertised in various ways and frequently involve referrals from advice agencies. Ofwat supports this form of assistance as part of an overall package of debt prevention and management. Feedback from the water companies suggests that most customers benefiting from such schemes maintain regular payment habits.
	Ofwat offers guidance to companies on charitable trusts. The guidance specifies that where a charitable trust or a restart scheme is in place, companies should, where appropriate, tell customers about them or refer customers to a relevant contact. Companies which do not have such schemes should consider the value of establishing them independently or jointly with other companies or utilities.

Water Charges: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average percentage change in domestic water bills has been in each local authority area in the East of England since May 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table sets out the average water bill and the percentage change for each year since 1 April 1997 for all the water companies that provide a service in the East of England. Ofwat does not hold information of the average water bill broken down by local authority area.
	
		
			   Average water only bill ()  Percentage change on previous year (2009-10 prices) 
			  Anglian Water   
			 1997-98 175.21 -4.3 
			 1998-99 167.94 -4.2 
			 1999-2000 159.45 -5.1 
			 2000-01 140.15 -12.1 
			 2001-02 140.73 0.4 
			 2002-03 136.64 -2.9 
			 2003-04 139.51 2.1 
			 2004-05 140.09 0.4 
			 2005-06 154.55 10.3 
			 2006-07 162.13 4.9 
			 2007-08 170.27 5.0 
			 2008-09 171.60 0.8 
			 2009-10 173.85 1.4 
			
			  Essex and Suffolk Water   
			 1997-98 163.67 0.9 
			 1998-99 137.95 -15.7 
			 1999-2000 157.27 14.0 
			 2000-01 138.19 -12.1 
			 2001-02 138.05 -0.1 
			 2002-03 138.19 0.1 
			 2003-04 138.48 0.2 
			 2004-05 152.11 9.8 
			 2005-06 160.58 5.6 
			 2006-07 164.49 2.4 
			 2007-08 169.66 3.1 
			 2008-09 169.30 -0.2 
			 2009-10 168.17 -0.7 
			
			  Cambridge Water   
			 1997-98 145.12 -2.1 
			 1998-99 138.23 -4.7 
			 1999-2000 124.29 -10.1 
			 2000-01 115.89 -6.8 
			 2001-02 116.19 0.3 
			 2002-03 112.79 -2.9 
			 2003-04 110.03 -2.5 
			 2004-05 108.54 -1.4 
			 2005-06 120.67 11.2 
			 2006-07 119.57 -0.9 
			 2007-08 122.57 2.5 
			 2008-09 116.03 -5.3 
			 2009-10 115.96 -0.1 
			
			  Tendring Hundred   
			 1997-98 201.50 -4.2 
			 1998-99 198.11 -1.7 
			 1999-2000 191.83 -3.2 
			 2000-01 169.98 -11.4 
			 2001-02 174.11 2.4 
			 2002-03 178.44 2.5 
			 2003-04 185.71 4.1 
			 2004-05 189.43 2.0 
			 2005-06 189.83 0.2 
			 2006-07 182.51 -3.9 
			 2007-08 171.59 -6.0 
			 2008-09 178.42 4.0 
			 2009-10 175.92 -1.4 
			
			  Three Valleys (including North Surrey Water)   
			 1997-98 156.31 1.9 
			 1998-99 157.91 1.0 
			 1999-2000 160.90 1.9 
			 2000-01 136.37 -15.2 
			 2001-02 136.83 0.3 
			 2002-03 137.92 0.8 
			 2003-04 138.18 0.2 
			 2004-05 141.13 2.1 
			 2005-06 158.33 12.2 
			 2006-07 156.92 -0.9 
			 2007-08 159.52 1.7 
			 2008-09 165.63 3.8 
			 2009-10 165.84 0.1 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for 2008-09 are provisional. 2. Figures for 2009-10 are forecast. 3. Numbers may not add up due to rounding.

62 South Eaton Place

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many months empty property council tax has been paid on 62 South Eaton Place; and how much has been paid in total since the property became vacant.

Phil Woolas: A total of 2,263 empty property tax has been paid for 62 South Eaton Place since April 2007. The total council tax paid is 3,534 since the property became vacant in March 2006.

Asylum

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken to process an application for asylum.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 26 October 2009
	In December we met our targets to conclude 60 per cent. of new asylum cases within six months. That means not only that decisions were taken early but that in a significant proportion of refusals, removal from the UK was affected within six months of application.
	In 1997 it took on average 22 months merely to reach an initial decision. We can only speculate how much longer than that it was taking to remove those who were refused at that time.

Closed Circuit Television

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1531W and the answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 521-2W, on closed circuit television, which of the recommendations contained in the strategy are  (a) proposed to be implemented and  (b) subject to further review.

Alan Campbell: As indicated in my earlier reply to the hon. Member on 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1351W, progress continues to be made on implementing the National CCTV Strategy and the outcome of the review of the recommendations will be announced in due course.

Community Policing

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated for the Basic Command Unit Fund in each year since its introduction; and how much has been allocated for 2009-10.

David Hanson: The Basic Command Unit Fund was implemented in 2003-04. From 2003-04 to 2007-08 inclusive the annual allocation of the fund amounted to 50 million and to 40 million in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Community Policing: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing schemes in  (a) Staffordshire and  (b) Tamworth constituency.

David Hanson: Neighbourhood policing is central to providing a police service that is responsive to local crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) concerns. Since 2002 we have invested over 1 billion to ensure that there is now a Neighbourhood Policing team in every neighbourhood, including in total more than 13,500 officers and 16,000 PCSOs. In December 2008, we introduced the Policing Pledge, which outlines commitments that the police service have made to the public, including minimum response times, holding monthly meetings to understand local concerns and providing regular updates on action taken to deal with those concerns.
	The latest British Crime Survey (BCS) figures released in October 2009 show an improving trend that, nationally, 50 per cent. of the public now agree that the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter locally are being dealt with. In October 2009, HMIC published a report on the progress of all forces in delivering the pledge. The report graded Staffordshire police as fair.
	It is for individual police forces and authorities to ensure the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing in their area. The Government will hold forces to account for progress through the single top-down target that antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter locally are being dealt with.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has inspected every force in England and Wales to assess their capabilities in delivering Neighbourhood Policing and Developing Citizen Focus. HMIC's assessment in September 2008 was that all forces, including Staffordshire police, had met this standard.

Crime Prevention: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) Staffordshire have attended the community crime fighters one day training course; and how many are expected to have done so by the end of 2009.

David Hanson: The community crime fighters scheme is a training programme covering new developments in tackling crime, anti-social behaviour and policing issues. It is aimed at people who are already active in their community and will help them to be aware of the services they should expect for their communitiesfor example the new national policing pledge, as well as what they can do if they see problems.
	Over 3000 people have so far attended these events. 3,600 people will be trained by the end of 2009.
	Analysis of the postcodes of people attending shows no one from the Tamworth constituency (B79) has attended the training to date.
	The total of trained community crime fighters from across Staffordshire is 34. This breaks down into, five people have attended from Stafford (ST17), one person from Newcastle-under-Lyme (ST5), two from Cannock (WS11 and 12) and 26 from Stoke on Trent (ST1-4).
	Attendance has mainly been from activists living in one of the 60 neighbourhood crime and justice pioneer areas. These are areas with high crime and high deprivation levels who are working closely with the Home Office. Stoke on Trent is a pioneer area.

Departmental Air Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many flights within Great Britain officials of his Department took in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Phil Woolas: During 2008-09 the Home Office spent 1.7 million on flights within Great Britain. The Department's spend on all travel in 2008-09, not including expenditure incurred by its agencies, was 14.6 million. The number of flights cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The requested information for the Criminal Records Bureau cannot be identified without incurring disproportionate cost.
	All travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Civil Service Management Code and any other guidance as applicable contained within Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental ICT

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what IT projects are being procured by his Department; and what stage of procurement each project has reached.

Phil Woolas: The Home Department has one IT project, UKBA's Rostering and Annualised Hours project, currently under active procurement. This is at the stage of invitation of tenders.

Entry Clearances: Russia

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons charges for telephone calls to his Department's visa application centre based in Russia are charged at different rates depending on whether the call is made in English or Russian.

Phil Woolas: All callers to the UK Border Agency's Call Centre in Russia are charged at the same rate, irrespective of what language they use or where they call from within Russia. Callers are charged at 75 roubles per minute, with a minimum charge of 150 roubles per call; the charge includes VAT. Because there are no premium lines in Russia, the caller is charged through an invoice which the Call Centre company raises, taking the information from the caller at the beginning of the conversation.
	There is one exception to this. If the caller is phoning from outside Russia, there is no infrastructure to bill them for the callthe cost of the call would need to be transferred from outside Russia, which is not legally possible. This means that calls made from outside Russia are not currently charged for.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running costs of each forensic science centre were in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The running costs of each of the laboratories over the last five years are:
	
		
			m illion 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Chepstow 7.3 8.5 8.5 7.6 7.8 
			 Chorley 9.2 10.4 11.1 9.9 10.1 
			 Huntingdon 10.3 11.1 12.0 10.8 10.8 
			 Wetherby 9.6 10.6 12.5 11.3 11.9 
			 Birmingham Trident Court 11.3 11.3 11.0 9.6 9.4 
			 Birmingham Priory 8.3 9.3 10.8 10.2 9.6 
			 London 31.2 32.2 33.3 28.9 28.0

Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications the UK Border Agency has granted for indefinite leave to remain to individuals because they are dependants of EU nationals who are resident in the UK in the last three years;
	(2)  how many applications the UK Border Agency has granted for indefinite leave to remain to individuals because they are living with or related to EU nationals who are resident in the UK in the last three years.

Phil Woolas: This information is not available as the UK Border Agency's case information database records all family members of EEA nationals who apply for permanent residence in one category (EEA4).

Neighbourhood Policing: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been made available for neighbourhood policing in  (a) Birmingham, Northfield constituency and  (b) Birmingham in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

David Hanson: Neighbourhood policing is central to providing a police service that is responsive to local crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) concerns. Since 2002, we have invested heavily to ensure that there is now a neighbourhood policing team in every neighbourhood, including in total more than 13,500 officers and 16,000 PCSOs. The latest British crime survey (BCS) figures released in October 2009 show an improving trend, that, nationally, 50 per cent. of the public now agree that the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter locally are being dealt with.
	Funding is made available to police authorities, and it is for each police authority and each police force to allocate resources within the local force area. We provided 15.17 million to West Midlands police authority in 2008-09. The 2009-10 funding is 15.58 million, an increase of 2.7 per cent.

Police: Equal Opportunities

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ethnic minority police officers were employed in  (a) England,  (b) the Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Data are not collected for Tees Valley or at constituency level. The available data are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Minority ethnic officer strength in England( 1)  and Cleveland, as at  31 March, 2000 to 2009( 2, 3) 
			  Full-time equivalent( 4) 
			   Cleveland  England( 1) 
			 2000 17 2,667 
			 2001 18 2,882 
			 2002 19 3,291 
			 2003 23 3,787 
			 2004 28 4,499 
			 2005 27 4,886 
			 2006 31 5,145 
			 2007 26 5,420 
			 2008 25 5,693 
			 2009 29 6,183 
			 (1) This is the total figure for the 39 police forces in England. (2) Figures are as the same as in the published Race EqualityThe Home Secretary's Employment Targets reports. (3) Figures prior to 2003 are not directly comparable with figures from 2003 onwards, since figures prior to 2003 exclude staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave, whereas figures from 2003 onwards include them. (4) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 
		
	
	This and other related data are published annually as part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.

Police: Helicopters

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many helicopters are available for use by each police force.

David Hanson: The following table shows helicopters that are currently available for use by each police force in England and Wales.
	As can be seen from the table a number of police forces work in formal, shared-cost, consortia to provide an air support service across all contributing police forces.
	
		
			  Force  Consortium name  Forces  Helicopters 
			 Avon and Somerset Western Counties (1)2 (1)1 
			 Gloucestershire Western Counties (1) (1) 
			 
			 Cambridgeshire East Anglia (1)3 (1)3 
			 Essex East Anglia (1) (1) 
			 Suffolk East Anglia (1) (1) 
			 Cleveland   1 
			 
			 Derbyshire North Midlands (1)2 (1)1 
			 Nottinghamshire North Midlands (1) (1) 
			 
			 Devon and Cornwall   1 
			 Dorset   1 
			 Dyfed Powys   1 
			 GMP   1 
			 Humberside   1 
			 Lancashire   1 
			 
			 Leicestershire East Midlands (1)3 (1)1 
			 Northamptonshire East Midlands (1) (1) 
			 Warwickshire East Midlands (1) (1) 
			 
			 Merseyside   1 
			 Metropolitan/City of London Police  2 3 
			 Norfolk   1 
			 
			 Northumbria North East (1)2 (1)1 
			 Durham North East (1) (1) 
			 
			 North Wales   1 
			 
			 South Wales South and East Wales (1)2 (1)1 
			 Gwent South and East Wales (1) (1) 
			 
			 South Yorkshire   1 
			 Surrey   1 
			 Sussex   1 
			 
			 Thames Valley Chiltern (1)3 (1)2 
			 Bedfordshire Chiltern (1) (1) 
			 Hertfordshire Chiltern (1) (1) 
			 
			 West Mercia Central Counties (1)2 (1)1 
			 Staffordshire Central Counties (1) (1) 
			 
			 West Midlands   1 
			 West Yorkshire   1 
			 Wiltshire   1 
			 (1) The superscripts represent a brace.

Police: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers there were in each year since 1997 and  (b) police community safety officers there have been in each year since 2002 in Tamworth constituency.

David Hanson: The available data are provided in the following table.
	Police personnel statistics are not collected centrally at constituency level, but have been collected at Basic Command Unit level from April 2002.
	
		
			  Police officers and PCSOs in Trent Valley Basic Command Unit, as at 31 March( 1,2,3) 
			   Police officers  PCSOs 
			 2009 405 63 
			 2008 410 47 
			 2007 417 50 
			 2006 412 (1)15 
			 2005 429 (1)15 
			 2004 392 (2) 
			 (1) PCSO figures are as at 30 June. (2) Not available.  Notes: 1. Data at Basic Command Unit level have been provided, since data are not collected centrally at constituency level. 2. These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 3. Data on police strength by police Basic Command Unit was collected centrally for the first time for the period beginning April 2002. However, in 2003 Staffordshire were unable to provide data at BCU level. Therefore, data are not available prior to 31 March 2004.

UK Police Portal Team

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed in the UK Police Portal Team; and what the budget for the team has been in each year since its inception.

David Hanson: The Police Portal Service ceased on 31 March 2007, consequently the UK Police Portal Team no longer exists. The total cost of the team prior to its disbandment was approximately 640,000 per annum.

Cancer: Databases

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) funding and  (b) other support has been provided to the National Cancer Intelligence Network in each of the last three financial years.

Ann Keen: Funding for the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), which was launched in June 2008, is included in the financial bundle allocated by the Department to NHS London. In 2008-09, NHS London set a budget of 320,000 for services performed by the NCIN. This budget has increased to 2.7 million for 2009-10.
	The NCIN also receives funding for one targeted post from Cancer Research UK, and for another from the Medical Research Council, Oncore UK, National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) and Macmillan Cancer Research. The NCRN also co-funds a further post with the NCIN.

Cancer: Databases

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) public funding and  (b) other support has been provided to each of the cancer registries in each of the last three financial years.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the total amount of funding allocated by the Department to the Regional Directors for Public Health for cancer registry commitments for the last three financial years, 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	
		
			  Allocations to Regional Directors for Public Health for cancer registry commitments 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			   
			  Cancer registry  2007-08 allocation  2008-09 allocation  2009-10 allocation 
			 Eastern Cancer Registry and Information Centre 1,024,000 1,126,971 1,235,000 
			 North West Cancer Intelligence Service 1,467,000 1,461,551 1,455,000 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service 1,450,000 1,467,331 1,485,000 
			 Oxford Cancer Intelligence Unit 604,000 613,068 622,000 
			 South West Cancer Intelligence Service 1,449,000 1,490,330 1,532,000 
			 Thames Registry 2,446,000 2,517,930 2,591,000 
			 Trent Registry 959,000 1,024,372 1,093,000 
			 West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit 1,221,000 1,205,187 1,188,000 
			 Total 10,620,000 10,906,740 11,201,000 
			  Source:  Department of Health internal financial management data.

Care Quality Commission: Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure the revision of the Care Quality Commission's website to make it more user-friendly.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) but they inform us that overall feedback about their website is positive, as measured through responses from individual users, via online surveys and through specific testing with peoplepublic and professionalswho use its pages. Around 460,000 unique visitors used the site during Quarter 2 of 2009, spending more than eight minutes on average per visit. The site offers content in a range of accessible formats, including easy read, large print, British Sign Language and audio.
	CQC believes there is always scope to improve the way it offers information about the quality of care services. With this in mind, improvements are planned to the site later this year. A major investment is planned for next year to make the most of the opportunity posed by the new registration system for health and adult social care providers.
	We understand CQC have contacted the hon. Member for Eddisbury's office to seek specific feedback.

Dental Services: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of dentists in each county in the East of England undertake NHS work.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of practicing dentists who only undertake private practice is not collected centrally.
	The numbers of dentists with national health service activity during the year ending 31 March 2009 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008-09 report. This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809
	Information is provided for England and by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT), but is not available by county.
	For the year ending 31 March 2009, the numbers of dentists with NHS activity within the East of England SHA were as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 East of England SHA 2,472 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 224 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 259 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 338 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 105 
			 Luton PCT 80 
			 Mid Essex PCT 144 
			 Norfolk PCT 310 
			 North East Essex PCT 123 
			 Peterborough PCT 84 
			 South East Essex PCT 136 
			 South West Essex PCT 177 
			 Suffolk PCT 265 
			 West Essex PCT 122 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 330 
		
	
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements introduced on 1 April 2006.
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes any previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counts the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	These published figures do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.

Dental Services: Finance

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been allocated to support the immediate priorities identified in the Independent Review of NHS Dental Services in England in each category of funding; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when his Department expects to allocate budgets in support of the Independent Review of NHS Dental Services in England for 2010-11.

Ann Keen: Much of the work on developing and implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of National Health Service dental services will be carried out by departmental staff within existing resources at no additional cost to the Department. In addition, we are currently tendering for specialist consultancy support for the implementation of the recommendations. We estimate this will cost up to 490,000 (excluding VAT) in this financial year (2009-10). Budget plans for 2010-11 to take effect from 1 April 2010 will be informed by this development work, but will also be subject to the ongoing monitoring of progress and requirements through the course of next year.

Departmental Aviation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many flights within Great Britain officials of his Department took in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Phil Hope: A total of 1,316 domestic flights within Great Britain were undertaken during 2008-09 at a cost of 239,130.08.

Derbyshire: General Practitioners and Health Centres

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new GP surgeries have opened in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire constituency since 1997;
	(2)  how many one-stop primary care centres there are in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire constituency.

Mike O'Brien: Information on numbers of new general practitioner (GP) surgeries opened is not collected centrally.
	Data on one-stop primary care centres was not collected by local authority areas but by primary care trusts (PCTs), which were reconfigured in 2006. The number of one-stop primary care centres created under the NHS Plan target for the new Derbyshire PCT is 11. This includes a new GP health centre opened in Ilkeston as part of the Government's policy to have a new GP health centre in every PCT, open from 8 am to 8 pm, 365 days a year, which patients can attend on a walk-in basis or by appointment. Patients can register with the centres if they find this convenient or use the service while remaining registered at their existing practice.

Mental Health: Economic Situation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will  (a) estimate the number of NHS counsellors and  (b) assess the likely demand for NHS casualty services required to deal with increases in the incidence in mental health problems arising as a result of the economic downturn.

Phil Hope: The Department has not commissioned research on the impact of the economic downturn on levels of demand for mental health services. However, we recognise that there are links between poor mental health and difficult economic circumstances. Mental health services in England are now better prepared than ever before to provide help for these people.
	Since 2001-02, total planned investment in adult mental health services has increased by 50 per cent. (or 2.0 billion), putting in place the services and staff needed to transform mental health services. Total planned investment increased from 5.530 billion in 2007-08 to 5.892 billion in 2008-09, a 6.6 per cent. increase in the amount, and 4.0 per cent. in real terms.
	We also have 64 per cent. more consultant psychiatrists, 71 per cent. more clinical psychologists and 21 per cent. more mental health nurses than we had in 1997, providing better care and support for people with mental health problems. (Full-time equivalent).
	Because of the National Service Framework and increased funding, we now have over 740 new community mental health teams offering home treatment, early intervention, or intensive support for people who might otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
	We are also investing significantly in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme with annual funding rising to 173 million in the third year (2010-11), to train 3,600 extra therapists and treat 900,000 more people in those three years.
	The talking therapy services that are already up and running under the IAPT programme have been very successful, with 73,000 people entering treatment and 1,500 more therapists being employed under the scheme.
	In March 2009, a 13 million package of measures was announced to tackle the effects of the economic downturn. Employment is key to good mental health and the 13 million will strengthen the health service's links with employment services at local level, speed up the introduction of IAPT services in the areas most affected by the recession and provide better public access to information online at NHS Choices. The NHS Credit Crunch Stressline has also been established and is taking calls from people whose health is being affected by money worries.

Mental Health: Research

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on each research project relating to personality disorder among offenders in each year since 1999; and what publications resulted from research  (a) commissioned and  (b) funded by his Department.

Phil Hope: The costs of research in this joint development programme has been shared with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the research programme managed by the MoJ. The total Department of Health contribution to the cost of the many research projects since 2000 is 3,359,000.
	Some research is still ongoing and due to deliver in 2010. Most other research projects have resulted in a considerable number of related publications in academic journals. The delivery of the Bradley Review recommendations on personality disorders in offender populations will include full consideration of the results of all this research evidence before presenting a new interdepartmental strategy for personality disorder in October 2010.

Methadone

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a methadone prescription was in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of methadone prescriptions was in the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is shown in the following tables. The British National Formulary lists methadone in three separate sections: as a cough suppressant; as an opioid analgesic; and for the treatment of drug dependence. Data have been provided on the basis of this classification according to the preparation dispensed, not the purpose of the prescription.
	
		
			  Average net ingredient cost per prescription item 
			   
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Cough suppressant 3.24 4.05 4.17 3.70 3.74 
			 Opioid analgesics 22.95 22.57 21.62 21.21 20.59 
			 Drugs used in substance dependence 8.12 8.67 9.22 11.37 12.35 
			 Average 8.84 9.27 9.68 11.70 12.59 
		
	
	
		
			  Total net ingredient cost 
			  000 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Cough suppressant 3.5 3.9 4.3 4.6 4.0 
			 Opioid analgesics 2,015.6 1,993.5 1,831.7 1,781.1 1,693.2 
			 Drugs used in substance dependence 13,972.6 16,949.2 20,201.5 27,362.1 32,778.7 
			 Total 15,991.6 18,946.7 22,037.5 29,147.8 34,476.0 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis System

Methadone

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average duration of a methadone prescription for a problem drug user was in the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: This data is not collected centrally.
	National clinical guidelines do not specify how long a person should be in treatment and the duration of drug treatment varies markedly according to individual need. Research shows that staying in treatment for at least 12 weeks has a lasting positive benefit in reducing the harm associated with dependence.
	We also know that it is usual for drug users to go in and out of treatment several times, often over several years, before becoming drug-free.

Social Workers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers there were in  (a) England,  (b) the Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: The number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) social workers employed directly by social services departments in England and the Tees Valley as at the 30 September each year from 1999 to 2008 is shown in the following table.
	Information is collected by councils with social services responsibilities and is not available at constituency level. Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency covers part of Middlesbrough unitary authority and part of Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. Tees Valley includes the following councils: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.
	
		
			  Number of social workers( 1)  employed directly by social services departments( 2 ) in England and the Tees Valley 1999-2008( 3) 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002( 4)  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Tees Valley 561.3 590.1 627.7 653.5 647.5 695.0 694.3 719.5 745.9 793.4 
			  of which:   
			 Darlington 64.6 65.8 74.4 70.4 57.8 79.0 76.0 78.0 85.2 88.5 
			 Hartlepool 106.0 104.5 117.9 114.6 117.9 118.2 104.8 105.0 107.4 107.9 
			 Middlesbrough 139.3 157.5 165.7 196.5 206.5 234.1 242.0 262.6 262.7 249.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 121.0 118.0 124.5 126.8 123.1 122.4 120.0 124.3 136.3 140.2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 130.4 144.3 145.2  142.2 141.3 151.5 149.6 155.3 207.0 
			
			 England 35,822.2 36,922.4 37,795.0 38,825.0 40,420.2 41,141.0 42,365.3 43,891.7 44,769.8 44,790.1 
			 (1) Children's and adult social workers using the definition as used for the performance indicators which formed part of the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF).  (2) The information supplied is the number of social workers employed by social services departments in England and does not include agency staff.  (3) As at 30 September each year.  (4) Information for Stockton-on-Tees in 2002 is not available and so data for 2001 has been used as a proxy to calculate Tees Valley and England figures, this matches the Department of Health publication of this data.

Death: Cancer

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) diagnosed cases and  (b) deaths from each type of cancer there were in (i) England, (ii) Twickenham constituency and (iii) Richmond and Twickenham primary care trust area in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson:
	.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2006, while the latest figures for deaths are for the year 2008.
	Table 1 provides the number of (a) newly diagnosed all cancers and the most common cancers in (i) England, (ii) Twickenham parliamentary constituency and (iii) Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust for each year from 2002 to 2006.
	Table 2 provides the number of (b) deaths from all cancers and the most common cancers in (i) England, (ii) Twickenham parliamentary constituency and (iii) Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust for each year from 2004 to 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1. Registration of newly diagnosed cases of cancer( 1) : all cancers and top 10 specific cancers, England( 2) , 2002-06( 3) 
			   England  Twickenham parliamentary constituency  Richmond and Twickenham primary care trust 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 All cancers 230,208 234,434 239,273 241,974 242,184 440 434 391 439 448 748 768 706 711 774 
			 Breast 35,552 37,777 37,936 38,699 38,278 90 82 60 88 71 131 150 104 136 133 
			 Lung 30,492 30,666 31,118 31,505 31,128 62 52 46 45 53 99 94 88 77 89 
			 Colorectal 28,218 28,496 29,430 29,945 30,046 52 47 52 58 66 95 84 93 86 102 
			 Prostate 27,974 28,222 30,539 29,299 30,024 49 51 42 39 53 106 81 80 66 94 
			 Non-Hodgkins lymphoma 7,994 8,341 8,550 8,627 8,768 18 18 15 19 22 34 31 29 29 34 
			 Melanoma of skin 6,661 6,918 7,596 8,102 8,658 10 11 12 14 12 17 22 24 31 25 
			 Bladder 8,485 8,528 8,262 8,565 8,373 12 23 21 17 11 23 35 38 32 20 
			 Pancreas 6,056 6,130 6,392 6,520 6,432 9 14 13 12 11 16 27 21 14 21 
			 Oesophagus 6,162 6,278 6,230 6,455 6,353 11 17 6 10 7 18 25 14 16 11 
			 Stomach 7,370 6,885 6,717 6,543 6,216 11 (4) 9 16 15 15 7 13 20 26 
			 (1 )Cause of cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10); the causes and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in box 1. (2 )Based on boundaries as of 2009. (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. (4) Under three cases. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Number of deaths where cancer was the underlying cause of death( 1) : all cancers and top 10 specific cancers, England( 2)  , 2004-08( 3) 
			   England  Twickenham parliamentary constituency  Richmond and Twickenham  p rimary  c are  t rust 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 All cancers 126,048 126,246 126,779 127,719 128,802 229 211 256 205 202 386 340 403 350 321 
			 Breast 10,341 10,375 10,302 10,062 10,122 21 27 24 21 22 34 36 45 27 34 
			 Lung 26,399 26,786 27,368 27,656 28,198 35 37 47 42 41 68 63 80 75 64 
			 Colorectal 12,978 12,924 12,868 12,841 13,067 22 27 30 18 22 36 34 43 36 28 
			 Prostate 8,531 8,492 8,506 8,659 8,597 18 17 16 19 17 32 21 24 27 27 
			 Non-Hodgkins lymphoma 3,718 3,732 3,723 3,761 3,722 12 5 7 7 2 21 11 13 9 5 
			 Melanoma of skin 1,480 1,529 1,536 1,710 1,725 2 2 9 4 3 6 7 10 8 5 
			 Bladder 4,066 3,912 4,046 4,125 4,188 11 6 10 5 12 16 15 14 10 15 
			 Pancreas 5,888 6,074 6,183 6,394 6,506 18 10 11 10 6 26 14 19 17 11 
			 Oesophagus 5,894 6,061 6,066 5,953 6,131 11 7 10 13 3 13 13 12 20 8 
			 Stomach 4,694 4,583 4,216 4,255 4,226 4 9 12 3 4 7 12 18 6 6 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in box 1. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1:  International Classification of Diseases, Tenth revision (ICD-10) codes for all cancers and selected cancers 
			  Group name  ICD-10 code 
			 All cancers C00-C97 
			  excluding C44 
			 Oesophagus C15 
			 Stomach C16 
			 Colorectal C18-C20 
			 Pancreas C25 
			 Lung C34 
			 Melanoma of skin C43 
			 Breast C50 
			 Prostate C61 
			 Bladder C67 
			 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma C82-C85

Olympic Games 2012: Voluntary Work

Andy Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress she has made in promoting volunteering opportunities associated with the London 2012 Olympics in sports clubs; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games present a huge opportunity to boost both volunteering and participation in sport.
	The Government have set a target to get two million more people more active by 2012-13, one million through sport, which will be delivered by Sport England. In addition, Sport England aims to increase volunteering in sport through their strategy for 2008-11 and a new volunteering centre of excellence team. This team is working with national governing bodies to ensure that sports clubs are provided with the skills, capacity and resources to develop their volunteering and to maximise their enthusiasm for London 2012.
	Sport England is also working with Volunteering England and Youthnet on the development of the Cabinet Office funded Inspiration and Legacy from the 2012 Games project. The project, launched in May 2009, aims to encourage volunteering as part of the legacy of the 2012 games. It will direct individuals inspired to volunteer by the 2012 games to volunteering opportunities in sports, including sports clubs, culture and the environment.

Access to Work Programme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes her Department plans to make to the Access to Work programme in support of the Government's Valuing Employment Now strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 October 2009
	The Government are fully committed to ensuring that individuals are able to achieve their full potential and ambitions for work. This includes providing services which better meet the needs of the Public Service Agreement 16 customer group, which includes people with moderate to severe learning disabilities.
	With this in mind, the Government launched 'Valuing Employment Now: real jobs for people with learning disabilities' on 24 June 2009. Our aspiration is to close the gap between the employment rate for people with learning disabilities and that of the disabled population as a whole. In real terms this means an extra 45,000 people with learning disabilities in employment.
	Access to Work is an important specialist disability employment service delivered by Jobcentre Plus, and therefore will be vital in achieving this aspiration. We are currently exploring how we can ensure that the programme provides the most flexible, responsive and appropriate support for all customers, and to ensure that the funding is focussed on those who need it most, including customers with learning disabilities.
	Currently customers are limited to 26 weeks of job coach support. From this autumn we will be making the programme more flexible to ensure that people who require further job coaching can access the service for longer. We anticipate this will be particularly helpful for customers with learning disabilities.
	In making the changes to job coaching rules for Access to Work, we will ensure that customers who would be better supported by other provisions such as WORKSTEP and its successor Work Choice (from October 2010) are referred to the most appropriate service for their needs.
	The Welfare Reform White Paper 'Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future' contained a commitment to double the Access to Work budget from 69 million to 138 million by 2013-14. This was a confirmation of the announcement originally made in the Welfare Reform Green Paper 'No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility'.
	In addition, Access to Work customers have been able to apply for support to participate in a Jobcentre Plus Work Trial since 1 April 2009. Work Trials give customers the opportunity to 'try out' work, and also builds employer confidence in their ability to do the job. Work Trials can last from a few days to six weeks and because there is a genuine job vacancy at the end they are a direct route into paid employment. This may be another route in to meaningful work for people with learning disabilities.

Departmental Flexible Working

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what flexi-time arrangements were available to staff of her Department in each of the last five years; and how many staff participated in such arrangements in each year.

Jim Knight: The Department's policy is to offer staff access to flexible working hours where it fits in with business needs. Where access to a flexible working hours scheme is given, it means that with agreement staff can:
	Vary their times of arrival and departure from work
	Vary the length and timing of their lunch break
	Take time off under the terms of their flexi-time scheme
	Flexible working incorporates a wide variety of working patterns that staff can adopt and includes:
	Part-timewhich means that staff work and are paid for less than full-time hours
	As part of a job-share which usually involves two people each employed on a part-time basis, but working together to cover a full-time post
	Compressed hours by which staff work their total hours over a shorter period eg full weekly hours over four days rather than five
	Term-time working allowing staff to take unpaid leave during the school holidays
	A civil service job share website was launched in May 2009, to support those wishing to find job share partners.
	The Department does not centrally collect statistical data on the number of staff who participate in flexi-time arrangements. The cost of extracting this information in the format requested would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Information on the number and percentage of contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in a year is not maintained by the Department for Work and Pensions and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. As part of the DWP Commercial Strategy, the Department tracks centrally the number of SMEs the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies does business with in each financial year and the amount it spends with each supplier. This process does not break these figures down into individual agency or NDPB. In 2008-09 the number of SMEs that had contracts with the Department was 9,212 and the total expenditure with them was 429.7 million or 11.2 per cent. of total DWP procurement expenditure in the year. The latest available figures for 2009-10 are 239.3 million or 11.4 per cent. of total procurement expenditure in the period April to end September 2009.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money was reallocated from her Department to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessor in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and for what reason in each case.

Jim Knight: holding answer on 16 September 2009
	The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department for Work and Pensions transferred 645,000 for 2008-09 to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessor, of which 330,000 was in respect of the extension of compensation to all sufferers of Mesothelioma, and 315,000 in respect of the Government Skills Strategy.
	(b) The Department for Work and Pensions transferred 975,000 for 2009-10 to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessor, of which 660,000 was in respect of the extension of compensation to all sufferers of Mesothelioma, and 315,000 in respect of the Government Skills Strategy.

Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how employers who are willing to provide work trials are identified; and what provision is made for external supervision of participants on such trials.

Jim Knight: Employers willing to provide Work Trials are identified through various channels. For example:
	personal contact made by Jobcentre Plus staff as part of routine marketing, vacancy submission and vacancy follow-up activity;
	national promotion, including via Backing Young Britain and the Jobcentre Plus and Directgov websites; and
	Jobcentre Plus customers promoting themselves as willing to undertake a Work Trial when applying for vacancies.
	Before an employer can participate in the Work Trial programme they must enter into a formal agreement with Jobcentre Plus, that covers the terms and conditions of the programme. The agreement has a requirement for the employer to provide each Work Trial participant with a named contact who will supervise their progress.

Employment Schemes: Expenditure

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the average cost to her Department of a work trial placement.

Jim Knight: In the first half of 2009-10 a total of 605,782 was spent on reimbursing expenses incurred by those undertaking a Work Trial. Over the same period of time 20,609 people started on Work Trials giving an approximate unit cost per person of 29.

Employment Schemes: Luton

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people she estimates will be involved in the Community Task Force programme in Luton in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: Luton will be part of phase 2 roll out of the community task force, procurement for which will begin later this year. Estimates of numbers of participants for the phase 2 contract areas are not yet available.
	Prior to phase 2 roll out the work experience element of the young persons guarantee will be delivered through the existing new deal options.

Employment: Mentally Ill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire,  Official Report, column 834W, on the Ethnic Employment Taskforce, whether her Department has commissioned any research in order to measure progress towards eliminating discrimination in employment against people who suffer or have suffered from mental ill-health; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In July 2009, The Office for Disability Issues commissioned the Institute of Employment Studies to undertake research examining organisations' responses to the Disability Discrimination Act and the impact of the amendments made to the Act in 2005. This research is investigating how easy employers feel it is to employ people with a range of mental health conditions. The research is due to be completed by March 2010 and we will be comparing the findings with similar research undertaken in 2006 and 2003 to explore changes over time.

Future Jobs Fund

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many jobs she expects to be created under the Future Jobs Fund in  (a) Luton,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the East of England in the next 12 months; and what types of job she expects to be created;
	(2)  how much funding her Department has allocated to date to  (a) Luton,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the East of England under the Future Jobs Fund; and how much funding she expects to allocate in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: Three bidding rounds have been completed to date and information can only be provided on the jobs awarded under those rounds. It is not possible to estimate how many additional jobs may be awarded under future bidding rounds in the first 12 months of the project.
	Under the first two bidding rounds, 111 jobs will be created in Luton, 137 jobs will be created in Bedfordshire and 1,375 jobs will be created in East of England. These jobs will be created between October 2009 and April 2010.
	There were no successful bids for the East of England in the third bidding round which was announced on 14 October 2009.
	The types of jobs that will be created in East of England region under the first two bidding rounds are as follows:
	A variety of jobs working in museums;
	Energy/recycling officers; grounds and facilities maintenance and gardening;
	A free handyman service for vulnerable people;
	Social enterprise hotel for people with special needs and disabilities;
	Assistant Ranger to work alongside Countryside Ranger to enable the country park to have more volunteers of all abilities;
	Excavators-to assist on archaeological excavations and finds processing in Suffolk;
	A variety of jobs in children's services, environmental services, transportation and housing;
	Adult Social Care, Green/Environmental jobs/Support Workers children/youth); and
	Market Intelligence Researcher, Administrator, Sales and Business Developer, Youth and Community Development Trainee, Landscaping Assistant, Administration and Community Assistant, Sustainability Assistant, Health Projects Assistant, Children Services Assistant, Woodland Operatives, Customer Relationship Assistant, Trainee Finance Officer, Marketing Assistant, Finance Assistant, Human Resources Assistant, Mentor/Mediator Assistant, Business Development Assistant, Recruitment Assistant.
	It is also not possible to provide details of the funding allocated to Luton or Bedfordshire. Due to the make-up of the awards in those areas, to reveal information on the number of jobs awarded together with the amount of funding awarded could enable a calculation to be made which would reveal commercially sensitive information about the bids involved.
	Across East of England region, 6,475,415 has been granted in the first two bidding rounds. It is not possible to estimate how much funding may be committed under future bidding rounds in the first 12 months of the project.

Future Jobs Fund

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the average cost of a job created under the Future Jobs Fund to date.

Jim Knight: As the number of jobs being created and costs vary between bids, the average unit cost per job will change with each funding round. The estimated average cost is expected to be between 6,300-6,500 per job over the life of the fund.

Jobcentre Plus: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) permanent, (b) temporary and  (c) agency staff have been employed in (i) benefit delivery centres and (ii) customer-facing jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus in Birmingham, Sparkbrook  Small Heath constituency in each year since 2004.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many a) permanent b) temporary and c) agency staff have been employed in i) Benefit Delivery Centres and ii) customer-facing Jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus in Birmingham, Sparkbrook  Small Heath constituency in each year since 2004. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information below national level for the period prior to 2006/07 is not available. The table below sets out data for each of the years 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09, broken down by permanent, fixed-term appointment and temporary staff. We do not employ agency staff. In addition, in the period since March, Sparkhill Jobcentre has seen further staffing increases in line with the increases across Jobcentre Plus more generally to deal with rising unemployment levels.
	
		
			  Staff employed by the Benefit Delivery Centre and Jobcentre Plus in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency 
			   Ravenhurst Benefit Delivery Centre  Sparkhill Jobcentre Plus 
			  2006/07   
			 Permanent 234 69 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 14 5 
			 Temporary   
			 Total 248 74 
			
			  2007/08   
			 Permanent 271 79 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 10 7 
			 Temporary  3 
			 Total 281 89 
			
			  2008/09   
			 Permanent 288 100 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 13 3 
			 Temporary   
			 Total 301 103 
			  Notes: 1. Headcount figures are quoted in full time equivalents using the Office for National Statistics definitions for counting headcount and details the position at March for each of the last three years. 2. The figures have been rounded to whole numbers.  Source: The data provided is taken from Dataview, an electronic extract drawn from payroll.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 834W, on Jobcentre Plus: manpower, what the ratio of jobseeker's allowance claimants to members of frontline staff in Jobcentre Plus was in  (a) the UK,  (b) each region and  (c) each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	The ratio of jobseeker's allowance claimants to staff varies between regions. The staff figures provided includes people deployed on work focussed and claim processing activity for a wider group than jobseeker's allowance claimants so staff numbers and therefore ratios are impacted by other factors. The contact centre directorate operates a virtual network and therefore aligning their work to geographic boundaries would be misleading. For instance, Wales has three large contact centres handling calls as part of the virtual network. On the same principle, the network of benefit delivery centres can, and do, move work around the country on a weekly basis to maximise speed of claim processing. Although benefit delivery centres are in the main linked to regions/countries, such work movement and some centralised functions mean there is not a clear distinction. For example, applications for national insurance numbers are processed in two centres, Glasgow and Isle of Wight, so staff numbers will be included in the Government office region for Scotland and south east respectively.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time a claimant received jobseeker's allowance in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency was in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Jim Knight: The information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average length of time a claimant received jobseeker's allowance in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each of the last 12 months 
			   Median (Number of weeks) 
			 October 2008 7.7 
			 November 2008 7.1 
			 December 2008 9.9 
			 January 2009 7.8 
			 February 2009 7.1 
			 March 2009 9.2 
			 April 2009 10.7 
			 May 2009 10.5 
			 June 2009 8.9 
			 July 2009 11.4 
			 August 2009 12.0 
			 September 2009 11.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Average length of time a claimant received jobseeker's allowance in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each of the last five years 
			  October to September each year  Median (Number of weeks) 
			 2004-05 11.0 
			 2005-06 11.2 
			 2006-07 12.2 
			 2007-08 9.7 
			 2008-09 9.6 
			  Notes: 1. Data is published at: www.nomisweb.co.uk 2. Median, rather than arithmetic mean, is the preferred measure of 'average' for skewed distributions such as duration of claim.  Source: DWP WPLS 100 per cent. data.

Pensioners

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the workforce in Britain are aged over 60 years.

Jim Knight: 7.9 percentage of the work force in Great Britain is aged 60 years and over.

Social Security Benefits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 695W, on social security benefits, what the monetary value of all benefit payments made to residents of  (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) England was in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Benefit expenditure 
			   million 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 England 99,314 105,476 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9,986 10,552 
			  Notes: 1. Does not cover all benefit expenditure, only the major benefits where the data are available on the DWP tabulation tool. This does however cover approximately 90 per cent. of all benefit expenditure 2. Tables containing benefit expenditure split by benefit, departmental strategic objective, local authority and parliamentary constituency can be found at the following URL: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/medium_term.asp 3. Figures rounded to nearest million  Source: DWP Statistical and Accounting Data

Social Security Benefits: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance she is making available to  (a) pensioners,  (b) benefit recipients and  (c) other vulnerable individuals living in North East Fife constituency in meeting the costs of their fuel needs; and what steps she is taking to ensure that people who are not in receipt of a state pension or other benefit administered by her Department are aware of the help available to them.

Angela Eagle: Pensioners in North East Fife, along with other individuals who have reached age 60, will receive a winter fuel payment to help meet the cost of their winter fuel needs. Households with those aged 60-79 receive 250 while those households with someone aged 80 or over receive 400.
	Cold weather payments of 25 a week are paid to those on pension credit in periods of very cold weather. Recipients of other income-related benefits may also be entitled if they have a pensioner or disability premium included in their benefit, or they have a child who is either disabled or under the age of five in the family.
	Disabled people can face extra costs all year round. Benefits such as disability living allowance provide additional weekly payments and are related to the individual's circumstances.
	The Scottish Government's energy assistance package provides support to pensioners by offering standard energy efficiency measures to older pensioner households, and a package of enhanced measures to pensioners who live in energy inefficient homes. It also provides free central heating systems to all pensioners who have never had one installed in their home.
	The Department for Work and Pensions also works closely with other Government Departments on the Keep Warm Keep Well campaign, which is aimed at vulnerable households in England, Scotland and Wales and gives information on the health benefits of keeping warm in winter, and details of the grants and benefits available.
	We continue to strive to ensure that people are aware of, and take up their entitlements through initiatives such as: data matching benefits; home visits; advertising and media campaigns; a simple and straightforward claim process and working with partner organisations.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent advertising the Government's crackdown on benefit cheats  (a) in total and  (b) in airline magazines in 2009.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 September 2009
	In 2008-09, the total advertising expenditure for the 'We're Closing In' Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign was 4,967,098.
	Between August and October 2009, the total expenditure on 'abroad fraud' communications in airline magazines was 50,604.
	The 5 million invested in the campaign represents less than 0.004 per cent. of the benefit bill. We cannot determine exactly how much fraud has been prevented as a direct result of the campaign. However, it is worth noting that in 2000-01, before we ran fraud campaigns, the proportion of money lost to benefit fraud was 2 per cent. The most recent figures for 2008-09 show that it is now 0.6 per cent.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice has active programmes on all of the OEP areas, though these are at different levels of development. Many of these initiatives aim to realise economies of scale from the functions the MOJ inherited on its creation. For example:
	We are now in the final stages of bringing the three main ICT organisations together to form a single ICT function.
	The MOJ has agreed an estates strategy to rationalise the estate it inherited on its creation and deliver significant financial, sustainability and effectiveness gains.
	A detailed strategy for the MOJ procurement function called Procurement Success has been developed and signed off by our Corporate Management Board.
	A new programme of activity designed to achieve the MOJ wide shared service vision for finance and human resources transactional services is currently under consideration.
	The Department is also participating in HM Treasury led back office benchmarking exercises and engaging with Government heads of profession in implementing other recommendations.
	Value for money features in several of the Department's internal financial training guides for Ministers and staff alike. Money for MinistersAn Introduction to Finance in the Ministry of Justice for Ministersfor example, is aimed at helping ministers through the finance framework MOJ operates to achieve value for money, staying within the fiscal rules, and efficient, effective service delivery and offers contacts for further help and/or one-to-one tuition.
	For staff, a monthly programme of workshops Improving Financial Management in MOJ has a specific section on looking at value for money and how to achieve it. Staff are able to get access to an e-learning module on the Department's intranet and developed by the National School for Government called Finance Skills For All which covers topics such as why value for money is a better measure in the public sector then profitability. More generally, the Department has embarked on a programme of bottom up change (LEAN), supported by training, aimed at reducing or eliminating waste within a business system or process of an organisation, so that staff can use their time efficiently, concentrating on the work that adds value to their business.

Discrimination: Age

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many complaints of age discrimination were made to the Employment Tribunal Service in January to October 2009;
	(2)  how many complaints of discrimination on the grounds of alcohol-related problems were made to the Employment Tribunal Service in the period January to October 2009;
	(3)  how many complaints of discrimination on the grounds of drug addiction were made to the Employment Tribunal Service in the period January to October 2009;
	(4)  how many complaints of discrimination on the grounds of mental health problems were made to the Employment Tribunal Service in the period January to October 2009.

Bridget Prentice: The Employment Tribunal accepted 4,271 age discrimination claims in the period January to September 2009. Data for October 2009 is not yet available.
	There were 5,566 disability discrimination claims accepted by the Employment Tribunal in the period January to September 2009.
	Claims for an impairment arising from drug or alcohol addiction related issues may be included within the Disability Discrimination category but they are not broken down separately. Claims for mental health related issues are included within the Disability Discrimination category but are not broken down separately.

Judicial Appointments Commission

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) originally estimated cost and  (b) actual cost was of the research recently commissioned by the Judicial Appointment Commission from the British Market Research Bureau on barriers to application to the judiciary.

Jack Straw: The cost of the research, which was competitively tendered, was 83,556 and the original estimate was 89,300. Both figures are inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.
	The JAC has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to increase diversity in the range of persons available for selection for judicial appointment.
	The main research aims were to:
	Investigate perceived barriers which may be preventing applications
	How removal of barriers would increase applications
	How barriers affected different groups.

National Archives: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) directors of finance and  (b) heads of finance there have been at the National Archives in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: As at October 2006, The National Archives employed a permanent Director of Finance and permanent Head of Finance. The same members of staff were in post in October 2008, leaving in January 2009 and May 2009 respectively. After both post holders departed, the roles were restructured to reflect the changing needs of the organisation, and the posts filled temporarily on an interim basis. The National Archives therefore currently employs an Interim Director of Finance and an Interim Head of Finance. It is in the process of recruiting a permanent Director of Finance. Following the review of the finance department, the Head of Finance post has been split into two rolesone focussing on financial accounts and the other on management accounts. One of these posts has now been filled permanently and the other is on the process of being filled permanently.

Prisoners: Drugs

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners received treatment for alcohol addiction in the last five years.

Jack Straw: Epidemiological studies show that around 8 per cent. of females and 7 per cent. of males coming into prison are dependent on alcohol for which clinical detoxification, the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) and Alcoholics Anonymous/Peer Support are key interventions available in prison.
	Alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services for those with an alcohol dependency in prisons are in the main provided within the wider drug treatment framework. The proportion of prisoners accessing alcohol treatment services is at present generally not disaggregated. However, I am asking for advice on the collective of better data overall on alcohol dependency, abuse and treatment of those in custody.
	The needs of prisoners with an alcohol problem are important. A great deal of good work is undertaken in prisons, with a range of interventions in place to support those with an alcohol problem. These vary across prisons but can include:
	clinical servicesalcohol detoxification, available in all prisons that have implemented the clinical elements of the IDTS;
	where alcohol is part of a wider substance misuse problem, the full range of drug interventions are available;
	alcohol awareness courses;
	an Alcohol information pack and awareness video is available for all prisoners and an alcohol leaflet will shortly be available;
	Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run groups in around 67 per cent. of prisons;
	some offending behaviour programmes address the underlying factors which occur in alcohol related crime;
	for those prisons involved in the roll-out of the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS), a 90 minute alcohol awareness session is available, this will be available in all prisons in 2009.
	a 12-step accredited alcohol programme is being run at HMP Bullingdon and an accredited Alcohol Related Violence programme based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is being run at HMP Chelmsford with three further sites planned to be running later in the year; and
	the young persons substance misuse service for 16-18 year old prisoners (has a particular focus on alcohol).

Prisons

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions each London prison has declared a lock-out in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: The table shows the number of prisoners the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) records as being 'locked-out' of prison between October 2008 and September 2009.
	NOMS attributes the increase in numbers during February 2009 to the severe snowfall in London on 2 February, which disrupted prisoner escorts to and from courts. In the majority of cases 'lockouts' occurred as a result of late court sittings and the contractor then not being able to return prisoners by prison closing time.
	
		
			   HMP  
			   Belmarsh  Brixton  Feltham A  Feltham B  Holloway  Latchmere House  Pentonville  Wandsworth  Wormwoo d Scrubs  Total 
			 October 2008   4  1 5 
			 November 2008  0 
			 December 2008  0 
			 January 2009  0 
			 February 2009 5 3 1 4   4 3 14 34 
			 March 2009  0 
			 April 2009  0 
			 May 20091  1 
			 June 2009 1 1 
			 July 20094 1 5 
			 August 2009  0 
			 September 2009   1   1 
			 Total 5 3 1 5 0 0 8 8 17 47

Prisons: Overcrowding

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what definition of overcrowded accommodation his Department uses in respect of prisons; and what percentage of prisoners in England and Wales have been held in overcrowded accommodation in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The definition of overcrowding in prisons is the total number of prisoners who, at unlock on the last day of the month, are held in a cell, cubicle or room where the number of occupants exceeds the uncrowded capacity of the cell, cubicle or room. This includes the number of prisoners held two to a single cell, three prisoners in a cell designed for two and any prisoners held overcrowded in larger cells or dormitories. If an establishment's population exceeds its total in-use CNA at the end of the month then this constitutes overcrowding.
	The percentage of prisoners in England and Wales held in overcrowded accommodation in each of the last five years are:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2004-05 24.3 
			 2005-06 24.0 
			 2006-07 24.6 
			 2007-08 25.3 
			 2008-09 24.7

Prisons: Security

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of each type of instances of disorder were recorded in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The data in the following table shows the number of disturbance-related incidents recorded on the Prison Service Incident Reporting System in prisons in England and Wales for the last three financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  Breakdown of disturbance-related incidents in prisons in England and Wales 2006-07  to  2008-09 
			   Barricade  Concerted indiscipline active  Concerted indiscipline passive  Hostage  Incidents at height( 1) 
			 2006-07 460 68 67 25 199 
			 2007-08 521 67 51 38 242 
			 2008-09 524 69 58 25 344 
			 (1) An incident at height is defined as any incident taking place over three feet from ground level and includes where prisoners have gained access to safety netting.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
		
	
	Although barricades and incidents at height have increased, overall trends in other incidents relating to disorder such as concerted indiscipline and hostage taking, have remained stable. The majority of disorder-related incidents are of a minor nature and are resolved quickly and professionally by trained staff thereby preventing escalation of the incident.

Supreme Court: Operating Costs

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated running costs of the new Supreme Court are for the 2010-11.

Jack Straw: The annual running costs of the Supreme Court are expected to be 13.5 million. In a WMS to Parliament on 15 July 2009, it was announced that the anticipated running costs for the UK Supreme Court would be 12.3 million. At present Her Majesty's Court Service pays 1.2 million pension and national insurance contributions with respect to the Law Lords. For transparency this was transferred to the UK Supreme Court from 1 October. This does not represent any additional cost to the public purse. For the first year we have provided an additional 300,000 to cover transitional set-up costs, this is being met from within existing resources. The costs of some aspects of the court's operation, including security, remain to be finalised and so the anticipated running costs will continue to be refined and reviewed.

Supreme Court: Pay

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees of the new Supreme Court earn more than  (a) 50,000,  (b) 75,000 and  (c) 100,000 a year.

Jack Straw: The Supreme Court has 39 employees. Of those 39 employees, four earn between 50,000 and 75,000, one earns between 75,000 and 100,000, and one earns more than 100,000.

Transgendered Prisoners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of transgendered prisoners in England and Wales;
	(2)  how many  (a) draft and  (b) final prison service instructions or orders concerning transgendered prisoners have been published since 1997;
	(3)  what recent consideration he has given to the adequacy of prison accommodation provided for transgendered prisoners.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	Neither the Department of Health nor the Ministry of Justice collect information on the number of transgender prisoners.
	The Gender Recognition Act (GRA) gives a person in possession of or applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate the right to privacy. However, not all transsexual or transgender prisoners will be covered by a GRA and it does not necessarily afford that person absolute anonymity. There may be certain situations where it may be required to prove a link between their current legal gender and their former gender, for example, to prevent further offences. This information is also not available centrally.
	No Prison Service Instruction or Order (PSI/PSO) concerning transgender prisoners have been published since 1997.
	A draft PSO on guidelines for the management, treatment and care of prisoners who have or have had gender dysphoria is undergoing revision following the ruling of a recent Judicial Review in which the claimant, a pre-operative transgender prisoner, applied for Judicial Review of a decision of the defendant Secretary of State for Justice refusing to transfer her from a male prison to a female prison. The application was accepted and the outcome ruled in favour of the claimant.
	There is no specific policy guidance regarding accommodation for transgender prisoners.
	Officials at the Department and the National Offender Management Service are currently considering accommodation issues as part of the draft Prison Service Order on guidelines for the management, treatment and care of prisoners who have or have had gender dysphoria.

Schools: Counselling

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many  (a) primary school pupils and  (b) secondary school pupils in England have access to a professional counsellor in their school; and by what mechanism such provision is funded;
	(2)  how much was spent on counselling in schools in  (a) 2003-07 and  (b) 2008.

Vernon Coaker: The school funding system provides a sum per pupil in a local authority for it to distribute for all its education responsibilities including schools. Once delegated to a school, it is for the school governors to decide upon the use of the delegated budget to meet the school's priorities, which may include purchasing the services of a counsellor.
	We do not collect information on the use of school funding in sufficient detail to capture information about which schools are providing counselling services and what is spent on these services. We do not collect information on which schools employ professional counsellors.
	We are committed to improving the emotional and mental health of children and young people and to help them develop social and emotional skills, improve self-esteem and self-control, enabling them to develop good relationships and to promote their resilience, so they can adapt to change and cope with difficult circumstances. This may include the use of services such as counselling.
	Access to counselling services has been provided locally through a number of DCSF initiatives developed in recent years. Counselling services may be provided through schools (including Pupil Referral Units) working with other agencies such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, social care and or third sector organisations. For pupils with behaviour related difficulties, counselling support may be provided through local Behaviour and Education Support Teams and Learning Support Units.
	Supporting the psychological well being and mental health of pupils is a key component of whole school programmes such as the Healthy Schools Programme and the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning programme. Such programmes are intended for pupils generally and may need to be supplemented by more specialist support for certain pupils.
	The Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future White Paper, published in June, stated that in order that every young person in secondary school gets the help they need to progress in learning and has a source of personal support, we will make sure that each one has a Personal Tutor who knows them well and who will support them in planning their learning, in making choices and through difficult times.
	The Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme, funded by 60 million between 2008-2011, builds on the successful social and emotional aspects of learning programme (SEAL) for those pupils who need additional support. Some of the schools involved in the programme have chosen to offer counselling based approaches as part of their package therapeutic interventions to children at risk of developing mental health problems.

Specialised Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of implementation of the diploma programme.

Iain Wright: We have spent 172.3 million on diplomas during the last four years. We are continuing to provide additional funding to support diploma delivery and capacity building over the rest of the current Spending Review years; in the current financial year we are making an additional 151.5 million available to support the diploma programme and have an estimated spend of 198.3 million for 2010-11.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much expenditure under each budget heading his Department has incurred on the introduction of diploma courses and qualifications in each year since 2005;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on diplomas in each of the next three years; and under what budgetary headings such expenditure is expected to be incurred.

Iain Wright: Expenditure for 2005-06 to 2008-09 on diplomas was made under the following categories:
	development costs for diploma qualifications; for 2008-09 onwards it also includes costs of Diploma Awarding;
	preparation funding to support consortia to deliver diplomas;
	funding for local delivery and capacity building, including the diploma specific grant; from 2008-09 onwards it includes the diploma formula grant which supports additional costs of early delivery of diplomas at KS4;
	work force development to prepare the work force for the delivery of diplomas; and
	supporting transport arrangements in the most rural areas.
	Total spend on diploma qualifications in each of these categories for each financial year is as follows:
	
		
			   
			   Development  Preparation  Direct and indirect  Work force development  Transport 
			 2005-06 2,479,000 0 0 0 0 
			 2006-07 5,000,000 0 0 4,400,000 0 
			 2007-08 9,612,000 15,203,000 2,195,582 19,501,000 0 
			 2008-09 12,900,000 26,700,000 17,500,000 55,800,000 1,000,000 
		
	
	The estimated funding level for diplomas for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2009-10 151.5 
			 2010-11 198.3 
		
	
	2011-12 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review process.

Young People: Learning Disabilities

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many of those diagnosed with  (a) dyslexia and  (b) dyspraxia between the ages of 11 and 18 have gone on to attend university in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many children diagnosed with  (a) dyslexia and  (b) dyspraxia before entering secondary school have gone on to attend university in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	Information is not held centrally on children and young people diagnosed with dyspraxia entering higher education. The numbers of 18 year-old undergraduate entrants who were recorded as having dyslexia in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record are given in the table as an alternative. This information is self-reported: therefore a student may choose not to share information about his/her disability.
	Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available from HESA in January 2010.
	
		
			  UK Domicile undergraduate entrants( 1)  with Dyslexia( 2: ) UK higher education institutions, 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			   18-year-old entrants 
			 1997-98 1,375 
			 1998-99 1,615 
			 1999-2000 1,985 
			 2000-01 2,305 
			 2001-02 3,070 
			 2002-03 3,390 
			 2003-04 3,945 
			 2004-05 4,405 
			 2005-06 5,450 
			 2006-07 5,385 
			 2007-08(3) 5,730 
			 (1) Covers Entrants to full-time and part-time courses (2) Dyslexia is part of the HESA field 'Disability' which records the type of disability that a student has, on the basis of the student's own self-assessment. (3) Figures for 2007/08 refer to the category 'A specific learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia' in the 'Disability' field and are not directly comparable to previous years.  Notes:  Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December. Figures in the table are rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

G20: Greater London

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what commitments the Government entered into during the G20 London summit on energy, climate change and related matters.

Joan Ruddock: The Communiqu issued at the end of the G20 London summit detailed the commitments as follows:
	We agreed to make the best possible use of investment funded by fiscal stimulus programmes towards the goal of building a resilient, sustainable and green recovery. We will make the transition towards clean, innovative, resource efficient, low carbon technologies and infrastructure. We encourage the multilateral development banks to contribute fully to the achievement of this objective. We will identify and work together on further measures to build sustainable economies.
	We reaffirm our commitment to address the threat of irreversible climate change, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and to reach agreement at the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.

G8: Italy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for which aspects of the Government's contribution to commitments agreed at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila his Department is responsible.

Joan Ruddock: The commitments agreed at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila which the Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for can be found in the G8 Communiqu entitled 'Responsible Leadership For A Sustainable Future' accessible electronically at:
	http://www.g8italia2009.it/static/G8_Allegato/G8_Declaration_08_07_09_final.O.pdf
	The relevant paragraphs are: 3944, 6080, 8393.

Renewable Energy: Local Government

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department is monitoring the adherence of local authorities to their obligation to promote and encourage the development of renewable energy resources in their local development policy.

Ian Austin: Local planning authorities in England are required to make an annual report to the Secretary of State on the extent to which the policies set out in local development documents are being achieved. In addition my Department published research on our website in July 2009 which looked at the ambition of targets for renewable energy set in regional spatial strategies and their implementation. We are also currently undertaking research into the take up of and application of the policies in the Planning Policy Statement on Planning and Climate Change. Planning elsewhere in the UK is a matter for the devolved administrations.

United Nations Adaptation Fund

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding the Government provided to the United Nations Adaptation Fund in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; what funding is planned for 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Adaptation Fund was established under the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC and launched at COP-7 in Marrakech, in 2001. Its aim was to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in vulnerable developing countries. The Board of the Adaptation Fund was then established in 2008. The Fund is expected to become operational before the climate change conference in Copenhagen at the end of this year. The Adaptation Fund has a unique mechanism for financing, which is not dependent on contributions from specific countries. Instead, it is financed by a market-based source of fundinga 2 per cent. levy on the proceeds of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which was also established under the Kyoto Protocol. Nevertheless, the UK has been supporting the design and implementation of the Adaptation Fund both as a board member and through provision of 0.5 million start-up funding.

Community Relations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion on Building united and resilient communities, developing shared futures; and what changes have been made to the funding of external organisations as a consequence of such implementation.

Shahid Malik: The Government published their plans for implementing the report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion on 4 February 2008. This included the announcement of 50 million for community cohesion work over three years. 34 million was allocated to local authorities through Area Based Grant; 7.5 million to interfaith work; 4.5 million to positive activities for young people; and the remainder to support for local areas. More recently, the Government have allocated further funding to support local areas as part of the Connecting Communities programme. Elements of the above funding will go to external organisations.

Council Housing: Property Transfer

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the capital receipts from the sale of local authority housing stock in Tamworth constituency were in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of the sum was  (a) retained by Tamworth Borough Council and  (b) passed to his Department in each of those years.

Ian Austin: Prior to 1 April 2004, local authorities retained receipts arising from the disposal of their housing assets, although authorities with debt set aside a proportion of those receipts to repay their housing debt.
	The following table shows for each financial year since 1999-2000 the total housing receipts received by Tamworth borough council and since 2004-05 the total amount of those receipts which were surrendered to the Exchequer Consolidated Fund. These do not pass directly to the Department for Communities and Local Government, nor are they hypothecated to specific policy areas but, together with other resources, contribute towards the overall fiscal envelope within which departmental public expenditure programmes are agreed as part of the Spending Review process.
	
		
			   000 
			   Total housing receipts received by Tamworth borough council  Total of those receipts passed to the Exchequer Consolidated Fund 
			 1999-2000 3,101 n/a 
			 2000-2001 (1) n/a 
			 2001-2002 4,318 n/a 
			 2002-2003 7,429 n/a 
			 2003-2004 10,388 n/a 
			 2004-2005 7,214 5,230 
			 2005-2006 5,350 3,649 
			 2006-2007 2,110 1,526 
			 2007-2008 1,802 1,306 
			 2008-2009 361 259 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) = Not available. 
		
	
	Data for 2003-2004 and previous years was provided by the local authority on a voluntary basis in the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix. Since 2004-2005, data on housing receipts and the calculation of the proportion of those receipts that must be paid to the Secretary of State has been a requirement, and it is audited every year.
	The parliamentary constituency of Tamworth covers the whole of the area administered by Tamworth borough council, and part of the area administered by Lichfield district council. Data on housing receipts is collected on the basis of local authorities, not parliamentary constituencies.

Council Housing: Young People

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many 18 to 21-year-olds are housed as priority need owing to their status as a former relevant child.

Ian Austin: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq22009
	Data collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty to secure that suitable accommodation is available (homeless acceptances). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	The priority need categories include a person (other than a relevant student) who is under 21 and, at any time after reaching the age of 16, but while still under 18, was, but is no longer, looked after, accommodated or fostered. Between April and June 2009 (the most recent period for which data is available), 130 homeless acceptances fell within this priority need category.
	The priority need categories also include a person (other than a relevant student) who has reached the age of 21 and who is vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered. Between April and June 2009, 40 homeless acceptances fell within this priority need group, but it is not possible to identify the age of the applicants.
	The term relevant student means a person to whom section 24B(3) of the Children Act 1989 applies, who is in full time further or higher education and whose term-time accommodation is not available to him during a vacation.
	Former relevant children under 21 are likely to qualify for advice and assistance from the responsible Children's Services authority, including assistance in meeting their accommodation needs. The general expectation is that they will receive sufficient support to avoid them becoming homeless. However, if a former relevant child's accommodation arrangements break down unavoidably, the homelessness legislation provides a safety net to ensure they will have suitable accommodation available.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is the policy of the Valuation Office Agency to value a self-contained annex as a separate dwelling for council tax purposes in cases where planning permission for the property was granted on the condition that the annex should not be sold or sub-let separately.

Barbara Follett: If an annexe is a self contained unit, it must be treated as a separate dwelling under the Council Tax (Chargeable Dwellings) Order 1992. Conditions attached to planning permission that prevent a separate sale are ignored as all dwellings must be banded for council tax purposes using the valuation assumptions set out in regulation 6 of the Council Tax (Situation and Valuation of Dwellings) Regulations 1992, which include an assumption of sale.

Fire Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will require local authorities to ensure that  (a) there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the FiReControl project and  (b) (i) the Fire Brigades Union will be fully recognised within the workplace and (ii) the Fire Service Grey Book pay, terms and conditions will apply to the service after implementation of the project.

Shahid Malik: Decisions on staffing levels, terms and conditions and union recognition are for the employerscurrently the fire and rescue authorities and then the local authority controlled companies and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority once the regional control centres are up-and-running.
	Under TUPE legislation, transferring staff's current terms and conditions will transfer with them to the regional control centre. Union recognition is a matter for the employers but if a sufficient percentage of staff are members of a union then recognition is automatic.
	Redundancies should be a last resort. The Department has provided guidance to the employers to encourage them to explore all possible avenues including, for example, redeployment and retraining.

Fire Services: Finance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) originally estimated costs,  (b) costs to date and  (c) estimated future costs of implementing the FiReControl programme are.

Shahid Malik: The basic initial costs and timescales of implementing the FiReControl project, as originally estimated in 2004, were 120 million. Following more detailed work project costs were updated to include funding to fire and rescue authorities for local and regional implementation activity, the costs of the regional control centre building leases and the costs of equipment to be installed in every fire station in England to support improved mobilisation.
	The expenditure to date on the project is approximately 190 million. The estimated full cost of implementing FiReControl is 420 million.

Fires

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of domestic fires caused as a result of the operation of  (a) electric ovens,  (b) gas ovens,  (c) microwave ovens and  (d) central and water heating systems in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and how many of these fires resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) non-fatal injuries.

Shahid Malik: Fire and Rescue Services share with the Department details of incidents attended, including of domestic fires. Since 1 April 2009, Fire and Rescue Services have been reporting using the Incident Recording System (IRS). Previously, data was collected according to the Fire Data Report (FDR) form. Details of each system can be found in Incident Recording System Questions and Lists, and Fire Data Report Code List respectively. Both documents are in the Library of the House.
	The numbers of fires, fatalities and non-fatal injuries for the most recent 12 month period available are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Fire, fatalities and non-fatal casualties by selected sources of ignition, England, 2008( 1) 
			  Source of ignition  Fires  Fatal casualties  Non-fatal casualties 
			  (a) Electric ovens 9,604 12 1,993 
			  (b) Gas ovens 3,788 10 784 
			  (c) Microwave ovens 977 0 173 
			  (d) Central and water heating systems 760 6 115 
			 (1) Provisional.

Homelessness

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) the East of England and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq22009
	The regional and national figures for the number of applicants accepted as owed a main duty and the number of households in temporary accommodation, for each financial year since 1998-99 can be found in Tables 3 and 7 of the latest Statistical Release. The equivalent 1997-98 figures can be found in earlier additions of the Release, accessible from this link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Data are not collected at constituency level. The Mid-Bedfordshire constituency falls within the local authorities of Bedford and Central Bedfordshire (which, prior to 1( )April 2009, comprised Mid-Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire). Data are not reported at county level. Bedfordshire includes the following local authorities:
	Bedford;
	Luton; and
	Central Bedfordshire.
	For local authority level acceptance and temporary accommodation figures between 1997-98 and 2008-09 (including those listed above), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 843W.
	Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep roughthat is, those who are literally roofless on a single night, and local authority data and count guidance can be found here:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/roughsleeping/

Homelessness: Young People

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of 18 to 21 year olds who are in  (a) homeless,  (b) emergency and  (c) night shelter accommodation.

Ian Austin: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. The data includes households housed in temporary accommodation by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. There were 60,230 households in temporary accommodation on 30th June 2009, 19 per cent. lower than the same date last year and 41 per cent. lower than the peak in 2004. We do not collect centrally the age of applicants in temporary accommodation households and therefore it is not possible to identify the number of 18 to 21-year-olds in these households.
	Data about the number of 18 to 21-year-olds who access housing related support services, funded by the Supporting People programme is submitted by providers of housing related support services on a quarterly basis. This data source includes information on those who access 'direct access' services. 'Direct access' services are defined as night shelters, emergency or crisis accommodation, including direct access hostels, and other homeless hostels. Therefore Supporting People data does not separate out 'emergency' from 'night shelter' accommodation.

Social Rented Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which recommendations of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's 2002 report, Social tenants' access to home working opportunities, commissioned by the Housing Corporation's Innovation and Good Practice programme, have been adopted by the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation to date.

Ian Austin: The report, which was part funded by the Housing Corporation's Innovation and Good Practice programme, made a range of recommendations to central and local government and to the housing association sector.
	In its Neighbourhood and Community Strategy of October 2006, the Housing Corporation emphasised the value of all housing associations promoting employment opportunitiesincluding residents working from their homes. Home-working is also likely to be covered in forthcoming guidance from the Homes and Communities Agency, for example on the development of Local Investment Plans for local authorities and other partners.
	The Live-Work Network, which was set up following the publication of the report, has been commissioned by Government to conduct a national study of the potential of local 'hubs' to support people who work from home. This work is being supported by the Homes and Communities Agency, the Commission for Rural Communities and CLG.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from the Local Government Association in respect of funding decisions affecting the Decent Homes Improvement Programme in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Ian Austin: The Local Government Association wrote to the Housing Minister, John Healey, on 27 July in respect of the funding decisions that the Minister had taken in the context of the Housing Pledge announcement of 17 July.

Bank Mellat

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on delegated legislation (counter-terrorism), to which UN-listed organisations Bank Mellat has provided services; what indications his Department gave to Bank Mellat of its concerns prior to 12 October 2009; what concerns his Department has raised relating to those UN-listed organisations; and which  (a) organisations and  (b) activities supported by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines have led to the imposition of restrictions on its trading activities.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In light of the sensitive nature of the information, we are unable to give further details of the organisations Bank Mellat has provided services to, or organisations and activities supported by IRISL which were relevant to the issuing of the direction.
	Both target entities were informed of the decision by letter and fax within hours of laying the order in Parliament.
	The UK Government have expressed their concerns on Iranian nuclear activities to the Iranian administration, most recently during talks in Geneva in early October.

Child Benefit

John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has for future increases in the level of child benefit.

Stephen Timms: Child benefit rates increased ahead of indexation in January this year, rising to 20 a week for the first child. Overall, child benefit has risen 25 per cent. in real terms since 1997. Decisions on child benefit rates are announced in the Budget and Pre-Budget Report.

Child Tax Credit

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has for future increases in the levels of child tax credits.

Stephen Timms: The Government increased the child element of the child tax credit by 240 in Budget 2008, and by another 150 in Budget 2009, when the Government also announced that the child element will increase by 20 above indexation in April 2010. Overall, the child element has risen by 790 since its introduction. Decisions on increases in the levels of tax credits are announced in the Budget and Pre-Budget Report.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on maintaining its Flickr channel in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury originally purchased its Flickr channel on 5 November 2008 at a cost of 15. We have just renewed the channel for a further two years at a cost of 29. There are no further costs associated with maintaining the Flickr channel.

Financial Services: Iran

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to restrict UK financial and credit institutions from dealing with Iran; what steps he plans to take in the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury issued an advisory notice to the financial sector on 11 March 2009 advising that
	All UK businesses regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 whether financial institutions or other regulated persons should treat transactions associated with Iran as situations that by their nature can present a higher risk of money laundering or terrorist financing, and which therefore require increased scrutiny and enhanced due diligence. Other persons authorised by the Financial Services Authority should also take this advice into account in their systems and controls to counter financial crime, and take appropriate actions to minimise associated risks.
	Other advisories were issued by the Treasury regarding the risks posed by Iran on 20 October 2008 and 3 July 2009.
	HM Treasury used the powers under schedule 7 to the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 on 12 October 2009 to require all UK financial and credit institutions to cease transactions and business relationships with two Iranian entitiesBank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lineson the basis of identified activities of concern that these entities were carrying out. HM Treasury will consider further use of the powers in schedule 7 to the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 where they are a proportionate response to a risk to the UK's national interests.
	As the Prime Minister has set out, the UK is prepared to implement sanctions against Iran beyond the UN and EU measures already in place as appropriate if it does not engage meaningfully with the international community.

Inheritance Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of raising the inheritance tax threshold to 1 million per person and 2 million per couple in each year between 2010-11 and 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The cost of increasing the inheritance tax threshold to 1 million with effect from April 2010 is estimated at 500 million in 2010-11, 1.2 billion in 2011-12, 1.4 billion in 2012-13 and 1.5 billion in 2013-14.
	Forecasts beyond 2013-14 have not been made.

Local Government: Loans

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many local authorities in  (a) Norfolk and  (b) England have current loans from the Public Works Loan Board; when each loan was taken out; what interest rates are being charged on each; what the term of each loan is; and how much interest has been paid on each to date.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A complete answer can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	At 31 March 2009, 296 of the 446 principal authorities in England, Scotland and Wales had loans outstanding with the PWLB. A summary of total outstanding loans from the PWLB to Norfolk local authorities is tabled as follows:
	
		
			
			 Norfolk county council 553,908,510 
			 Norfolk police authority 17,812,899 
			 Great Yarmouth borough council 26,022,968 
			 Norwich city council 70,018,955 
		
	
	A summary of PWLB lending to these local authorities by advance date, interest rate and term has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Total outstanding PWLB debt owed by authorities in England at 31 March 2009 was 40,842,357,987.
	Total overall PWLB debt across the UK, at 31 March 2009, was 50,853,477,721 at an average term of 27.4 years and average interest rate of 5.501 per cent.

Mortgages

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to assist those affected by shared appreciation mortgages.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to my colleague Ian Pearson's answer of 23 February 2009 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Fife West, (Willie Rennie)  Official Report, column 322W.

Public Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to promote a reform of public services centred on the citizen.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 28 October 2009
	Ensuring that public services are centred on the citizen is at the heart of the Government's measures to reform services, and will continue to be our priority.
	Our strategy for taking this forward is set out in two recent reports: Building Britain's Future and Working TogetherPublic Services on Your Side, which cover the actions that the UK Government is taking to move the UK from recession to recovery and forge a new model of economic growth; restore trust and accountability to the political system through democratic reform and renewal; and modernise our public services and national infrastructure.
	Much has already been achieved by giving people more choice over services. Now, we are building on this by ensuring that services are more accountable and responsive to citizens through introducing stronger entitlements to core standards in services and giving those who use services greater personal control over them.

Taxation: Fuel Oil

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the estimated financial value of tax to be collected on the use of recovered fuel oil from the lime manufacturing industry is in the UK over the next three years;
	(2)  how much tax has been collected on the use of recovered fuel oil from  (a) the lime industry,  (b) the electrical industry and  (c) the steel industry since the implementation of the tax in November 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The forecast revenue for 2009-10 from fuel duty is published in table C.6 of the 2009 Financial Statement and Budget Report. This can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud09_completereport_2520.pdf
	Data on receipts from oils duties is published in the National Statistics Hydrocarbon Oils Duties bulletin available at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task-bulloil
	Receipts and forecasts of recovered fuel oil by industry are not available.

Construction: Billing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made since February 2009 in ensuring that payments to sub-contractors of tier one contractors on construction projects funded from the public purse are made within 10 days of receipt of invoice.

Patrick McFadden: The Department is engaged in a range of activity to ensure (i) payment practices in the construction sector are improved, (ii) public sector contractors are paid on time and (iii) public sector contractors pay their own suppliers on time.
	Poor payment practices in the construction industry give rise to substantial additional financing and transaction costs. More importantly certainty over how much and when payment is made builds trust between supply team members and underpins collaborative working to achieve value for money for clients. That is why Government are committed to a 'Fair Payment Charter' in construction contracts which applies equally between the client and lead contractor and throughout the supply chain. To ensure effective and equitable cash flow for all those involved, all contracts will provide for regular payments and have payment periods not exceeding30 days.
	In October 2008 the Prime Minister committed all central Government Departments to pay invoices within ten days. We have made good progress and, as of September 2009, 19 out of every 20 invoices are being paid within ten days. Some 59 billion of payments were made within 10 days between June and September 2009.
	The Government model contract includes a requirement for contractors to pay their own suppliers within 30 days and all Departments have recently been asked to (i) remind suppliers of their contractual obligations, (ii) undertake compliance checking and (iii) secure supplier support for the Prompt Payment Code.

Departmental Aviation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many flights within Great Britain officials of his Department took in 2008-09; and at what cost to the public purse.

Patrick McFadden: Following a machinery of government change the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The figures below relate to the Departments before the merger.
	The amount spent and number of flights by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform within Great Britain for the period 2008-09 was:
	Number of flights1,035
	Spend185,446
	The amount spent and number of flights by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills within Great Britain for the period 2008-09 was:
	Number of flights152
	Spend31,331
	Figures are for the ex Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) part of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) only. Under a shared service arrangement the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) administers the account on behalf of DIUS to its former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) staff. To isolate the DfES figures would incur disproportionate costs.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code and departmental staff handbooks.

Departmental Video Conferencing

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2008,  Official Report, column 447W, on departmental video conferencing, what the cost was of installing the state-of-the-art video conferencing and telepresence facilities in Kingsgate House.

Patrick McFadden: The costs for the now Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, of installing the video conferencing and telepresence facilities in Kingsgate House were as follows:
	(a) Video Conferencing286,000 (this included all equipment and links, set up costs and necessary security).
	(b) Telepresence Facility434,000 (this included all equipment, links, security firewalls and implementation costs.

Science: Higher Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many science departments in institutions of higher education have closed in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: holding answer 29 October 2009
	We do not have a central record of the number of science departments in higher education institutions. Appropriate academic structures in HEsuch as departments, schools and facultiesare determined by each institution.
	Student numbers are taken as a more reliable indicator for the health of science. These numbers are growing encouragingly. Further details on numbers of science students can be found on the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs

Spaceflight: EC Action

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the UK is contributing to the European Space Agency in 2009-10.

David Lammy: On current estimates, in 2009-10 the UK will contribute 266,766,518 to the European Space Agency.

Spaceflight: Research

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what UK space projects the Government is  (a) fully and  (b) partially funding.

David Lammy: The Government are fully funding the two UK space projects: Topsata technology demonstrator small satellite launched at the end of 2006, and Starbrooka system for monitoring satellites in geo-stationary and other orbits.
	The Government are also partially funding the Disaster Monitoring Constellation UK space project.
	In addition, the Government are fully funding a number of discrete instruments or experiments on multi-national space projects, and the MOD continues to fund existing space-related capabilities including Skynet, RAF Fylingdales and the Space Operations Coordination Centre.

Temporary Employment

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of temporary and agency workers in  (a) each region of England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Patrick McFadden: The number of temporary agency workers in each devolved Administration and Government Office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Distribution of temporary agency workers by region 
			  Region  Proportion (percentage)  Number( 1) 
			 England 89 1,158,000 
			 North East 4 53,000 
			 North West 10 133,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 10 134,000 
			 East Midlands 10 132,000 
			 West Midlands 9 112,000 
			 Eastern 10 135,000 
			 London 15 193,000 
			 South East 14 176,000 
			 South West 7 90,000 
			 Wales 3 43,000 
			 Scotland 6 76,000 
			 Northern Ireland 2 23,000 
			
			 UK total  1,300,000 
			 (1) APS proportions are applied to the 1.3 million agency workers estimated by SORA/REC. Rounded to nearest 1,000.  Note: Figures have been rounded.  Source: ONS' Annual Population Survey April 2008March 2009, BIS' Survey of Recruitment Agencies (SORA) 2007 and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) 'Census' 2006